A further 25 Irish citizens and dependants have been flown out of Afghanistan on their way to Ireland.

The group travelled from Kabul to the Qatari capital of Doha on a specially organised flight last night.

They have been met by an Irish consular team who will assess their needs in Doha before they travel on to Ireland.

The group includes 15 Irish citizens and ten of their dependents.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said: “This is a huge relief and testament to the ability of our consular team in Dublin and the region who have worked tirelessly through diplomatic channels to access last night’s flight.”

“We remain aware and in contact with other citizens who still want to leave Afghanistan and our work with key partners will continue to achieve this.

“Ireland is also committed to its international obligations to help vulnerable Afghan refugees and groups of people in that category continue to arrive or be in transit.”

A further 63 Irish citizens and dependents had already been evacuated from Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country.