Pakistan's state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistan’s interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistan’s government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.

MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BERLINGermany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germany’s commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and “some other European citizens.” Eriksen Soereide didn’t give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norway’s TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.

CANBERRA, Australia — More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

“The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic,” Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.

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