The alert level for Afghanistan has been reassessed and raised and Romanian citizens are urged to urgently leave this state's territory and to avoid any travel to Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs on Friday in a press release sent to AGERPRES.

MAE also warns "that these security developments are associated with a major risk of terrorist attacks and armed confrontations".

The Romanian Ministry brings to mind that the activity of the Romanian Embassy in Kabul was suspended in 2019, following an attack that severely damaged the building of the mission. Given the lack of an operational mission in Kabul and the fact that the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad has taken over our country's representation in relation to Afghanistan, the capacity of this mission to intervene in Afghanistan is limited, especially in the context of the deteriorating security situation in this country.

The MAE strongly recommends that Romanian citizens traveling to Afghanistan or who are already on the territory of this state to address the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad and announce their presence in the region, communicating their own contact details so that they can be contacted in emergency situations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone number of the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad +92 51 8441476, the calls being redirected to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken by call center operators on an around the clock basis. Also, the Romanian citizens who are facing a difficult, special situation, of an urgent nature, also have at their disposal the emergency telephone number of the diplomatic mission +92 311 4469900.

At the same time, Romanian citizens can request support from the diplomatic missions of the Member States of the European Union that are still operational in Kabul (Afghanistan).

* The health and safety of people living in Afghanistan are becoming increasingly pressing issues, as the Taliban continue their offensive across the country, several UN agencies warned on Friday, according to the DPA.

"We are close to a humanitarian disaster," said Shabia Mantoo, a spokeswoman for the UN Refugee Agency in Geneva.

She said special attention should be paid to women and children who are forced to leave their homes for fear of the Taliban.

For his part, Tomson Phiri, spokesman for the World Food Programme, said that about a third of the Afghan population can no longer afford food.

Two million children need immediate help. "I'm afraid the evil will only come from now on," he said.

In eight days, Taliban insurgents have captured nearly half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals. They control most of the north, west and south of the country.

The capital Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, the main city in the north, and Jalalabad (east) are the only three major cities still under government control.

The Taliban launched its offensive in May, with the start of the final withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, an operation that would end on August 31. They first occupied vast rural areas without encountering much resistance. Subsequently, their advancement has accelerated dramatically in recent days, with several major cities falling into their hands, according to the cited source. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Simona Iacob)