Australia says 3,500 people have arrived from Afghanistan

FILE PHOTO: Evacuees from Afghanistan board a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30 aircraft bound for Australia, at Australia's main operating base in the Middle East, August 24, 2021. LACW Jacqueline Forrester/ Australia's Department of Defence/Handout via REUTERS.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia has taken in more than 3,500 evacuees from Afghanistan, mostly women and children, after the Taliban overran the country last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

An international airlift began on Aug. 14 as the Islamist militants arrived at the gates of Kabul, having already captured most of the country. As part of that effort, Australia evacuated 4,100 citizens and Afghans with visas, though some with dual nationality chose to go elsewhere.