NATO held an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss accelerated evacuation measures in Afghanistan.

After the Taliban captured the country's second largest city, Kandahar, and the city of Herat on Friday, the member states of the alliance agreed on how staff, especially from Western embassies, can be flown out of the capital Kabul quickly.

The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday in Denzlingen in Baden-Württemberg that Germany would reduce the staff of the German embassy in Kabul to the "absolute minimum".

He called on all Germans again to leave Afghanistan now.

Those local staff who did not yet have a visa would receive one in Germany in the future.

"That will speed up the departure." The charter flights planned for this month would be brought forward.

"With these charter flights we will be able to fly out the embassy staff as well as local staff from Afghanistan more quickly," said Maas.

Finnish embassy remains open

Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller said that German development funds will not be used in Taliban areas. "In all areas captured by the Taliban, the projects are and have been suspended," says the CSU politician. Employee safety is an absolute priority. "In the other areas, only ongoing measures will be implemented in cooperation with the Afghan government, the international community and experienced non-governmental organizations."

The United States announced on Thursday that it would send around 3,000 soldiers to Kabul to “support the orderly reduction of the American embassy staff”. The Defense Ministry spokesman spoke of a precautionary measure. "This is a limited-time mission with a very limited mandate," he said. Great Britain also wants to send around 600 soldiers to Kabul to secure the embassy and ensure the departure of British citizens and former Afghan employees.

Denmark and Norway announced the temporary closure of their diplomatic missions in Kabul on Friday.

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said his country would take in up to 130 Afghans and their families who “worked in the service of Finland, the EU or NATO” “in view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation”.

The Finnish embassy in Kabul remains open for the time being.

Almost all major cities in Taliban hands

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO is continuing to pursue the goal of "supporting the Afghan government and the Afghan armed forces as much as possible". The safety of NATO personnel is the "top priority". But he added: "NATO will maintain its diplomatic presence in Kabul and will continue to adjust it where necessary."