Turkey has evacuated high-ranking officials of the defeated government of Afghanistan via a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight, including second Vice-President Muhammad Sarwar Danish and Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar.

Hurriyet reports that the officials had become the Taliban’s target.

The Taliban declared the military victory it achieved this past weekend, and this has pushed foreign governments to evacuate their citizens and certain Afghans who faced the threat of being charged by the Taliban.

The Turkish government planned and carried out a rescue operation through the Turkish Embassy in Kabul in order to evacuate Turkish citizens and Afghan officials who are closely linked to Turkey. It is reported that 324 people were on the plane.