Reuters: Our people and their families are out of Afghanistan

Reuters president Michael Friedenberg and editor in chief Alessandra Galloni sent out the following on Tuesday:

Dear All,

We are greatly relieved to tell you that 16 of our colleagues and their families in Afghanistan have now left the country. Last night, these 73 people arrived safely in Pakistan.

This has been an incredibly difficult time for our colleagues, who have continued to report steadfastly even as they witnessed their country’s renewed tumult.

We will continue to assist them and their families as they relocate — and to support other colleagues throughout the region.

We also want to thank all those who have worked relentlessly over the past 2 weeks to secure safe passage for our people. The situation on the ground has been unpredictable and challenging, but they worked around the clock to make this happen.

We will continue to report on Afghanistan in an independent and impartial way. Now, more than ever, that is vitally important.

Our best,
Michael and Alessandra