Brussels [Belgium], December 5 (ANI): The asylum requests by Afghan people to Europe have increased dramatically and is now the biggest country that lodges the highest number of asylum requests in Europe, according to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).

Afghans becoming the largest group lodging the most number of asylum applications to the EU is not a surprise as the ongoing humanitarian crisis has forced the Afghans to leave their country, Khaama Press reported.

The Afghan publication added that there are still people who are waiting for everything to settle and return to normal.

In September 2021, Afghans lodged more than 17,000 asylum applications in the EU, up from 10,000 in August and nearly twice as many as Syrians.

EASO said in a statement that this made Afghanistan by far the main country of origin, which Syria had been for seven years until July. Total applications in the EU exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19.

The analysis released by the EASO shows that about 71,200 applications for international protection were lodged in the EU in September 2021, up by a quarter from August and the most since November 2016.

"For the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, applications exceeded the last pre-pandemic levels in early 2020. The rising trend in Afghan applications not only continued but accelerated. Applications by Afghans increased by a considerable 72%, from about 10 000 in August to 17,300 in September," said EASO.

This increase partly reflected the evacuations that followed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August. Afghans were by far the largest group of applicants in the EU in September, with almost twice as many applications as by Syrians (9 100), who had been the largest group every month for seven years up to July 2021. (ANI)