The Italian parliament's foreign affairs and defence committees will question foreign minister Luigi Di Maio and defence minister Lorenzo Guerini next week on the "dramatic" crisis triggered by the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan and capture of the capital, Kabul, on Sunday.
"The crisis in Afghanistan and its dramatic latest developments were assessed today by the office of the lower house of parliament's foreign affairs committee chair at an online meeting," a lower house of parliament statement said on Monday.
The meeting expressed "unanimous support for an emergency operation to evacuate Italian personnel, Afghan collaborators and those involved over the years in humanitarian aid to the Afghan population," the statement went on.
"All participants agreed on the need for a hearing of the relevant ministers before the foreign and defence committees...on Tuesday 24 August," the statement concluded.
Italy has vowed not to abandon Afghanistan under Taliban rule following the hasty withdrawal of international forces after a 20-year war and to continue with various development programmes to help the population.
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