Army Rangers have arrived in Afghanistan to begin evacuating the remaining 36 Irish citizens.
They'll be stationed at Kabul airport for what has been described as a "short concentrated mission".
The government's private jet has also been sent to the Middle East to act as a contingency.
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Meanwhile the US President says he's sticking to his August 31st deadline for pulling American troops out of the country, despite calls for an extension.
Retired Air Corp pilot, Kevin Phipps, flew a similar evacuation mission from Syria 15 years ago - he says it's highly likely the Irish jet will be called into action:
