ABU DHABI, The UAE has helped evacuation efforts for 36,500 people from Afghanistan since early this month, its state news agency said on Thursday.

Alongside Afghans, these include nationals from Australia, Britain, France, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and the US, all of whom have used the UAE as a transit destination, according to WAM.

Foreign Ministry official Salem Al-Zaabi said the country’s motivation for these acts stems from its “humanitarian approach based on providing protection to people most vulnerable.” UAE authorities, in cooperation with the US Embassy, have launched a testing and security monitoring centre in Abu Dhabi for travelers in transit through the country ahead of reaching a final destination.

Six days ago, the UAE also agreed to host 5,000 Afghans on a short-term basis before they head to other countries.

Source: Kuwait News Agency