Second Dutch minister resigns over Afghan refugee crisis

FILE PHOTO: Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld smiles during a family picture at the NATO Defence Ministers meetings in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts/File Photo

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Defence minister Ank Bijleveld on Friday said she would resign over her handling of the evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan last month, following a similar move by Foreign minister Sigrid Kaag.

A majority of parliament on Thursday said both ministers bore responsibility for the government's slow response to the surge of the Taliban and for failing to prepare the safe passage of thousands of Afghans who could have been eligible for asylum in the Netherlands.