Aftermath of war

The UN refugee agency is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee from Afghanistan in a "worst-case scenario" in the coming months, AP reports.

UNHCR says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last week "remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly," with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing.

Ljubljana – Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met via videolink on Wednesday Roland Sebastian Schilling, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central Europe. The pair discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including potential migration and security threats, the ministry said.

According to her, they all want to continue their journey to Western Europe, primarily Germany.

When foreign policy expert Kemal Kirişci warned of "a mass exodus of refugees fleeing Afghanistan could spark another migration crisis" in April, his research received little attention.

Now, as the Taliban completes a rapid takeover of the country following the US and NATO decision to withdraw, his predictions may have already started to materialise.

Nobody should consider Turkey as a refugee camp, the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said on Aug. 9, elaborating on recent discussions after Afghans started fleeing to Turkey.

class='cf'>

Relations between Brussels and Ankara - already strained by earlier crises over refugees - face an even bigger test as the number of Afghans fleeing westwards rapidly increases.

The U.S. walked back on Aug. 4 remarks from senior officials regarding Afghan refugee flows amid a diplomatic row with Turkey, and voiced regret about the comments.

class='cf'>

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington "did not intend to single out any particular country as a destination for refugees."

Turkey will not accept the "irresponsible" decision taken by the United States regarding the resettlement of Afghan refugees, because the plan addresses Turkey as the target country for application of the migration procedures, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said on Aug. 3.

class='cf'>

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has reiterated his warning against refugee influx towards Turkey, saying the issue is a matter of perpetuity for Turkey.

The "West has seen" that they can turn Turkey into an "open prison for refugees," Kılıçdaroğlu said in a video message on Twitter on July 25.

Turkey's vice president urged the EU on July 6 to open legal migration routes for Syrians as part of the fair burden and responsibility sharing principle.

Fuat Oktay also appealed for member states to activate the voluntary humanitarian admission mechanism with concrete commitments and to increase the settlement quotas for refugees.