MANILA - Thirteen more Filipinos were able to leave Afghanistan for the United Kingdom, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

This brings the number of Filipinos who were evacuated to UK to 18.

The DFA said the Philippine embassy in London is facilitating their return to the Philippines “at the soonest possible time.”

Meanwhile, five Filipinos who sought shelter in the Indonesian embassy in Kabul were accommodated in an Indonesian military flight.

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The DFA thanked the Indonesian government for assisting the Filipinos.

“The department continues to exert all efforts to be able to repatriate remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan. Those remaining are once again advised to be prepared to depart with a moment’s notice,” the DFA said.

DFA confirms additional 13 Filipinos were able to exit Afghanistan for the UK; Philippine Embassy in London facilitating their return to PH pic.twitter.com/1FPhhHb0fT

— Willard Cheng (@willardcheng) August 20, 2021

There some 81 estimated Filipinos remaining in Afghanistan, of which 70 are seeking to be repatriated, according to the agency.

The DFA earlier issued Alert Level 4 in Afghanistan over the weekend after the Taliban captured key cities, including Kabul. Under the alert level, the Philippines will undertake mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos in the area.

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