In a story that is simultaneously heartening and disheartening, 640 Afghans managed to evade security barriers and rush onboard the cargo hold of a U.S. military C-17 transport late Sunday. The group was allowed to stay onboard and evacuated to safety in Qatar.
640 Afghans Pictured Onboard C-17 Evacuation Flight From Kabul
The picture above tells us so much about the hopes and fears of so many Afghan people. The fact that eight people died yesterday trying to leave the country demonstrates just how serious moderate Afghans view the return of the Taliban.
The picture was anonymously provided by a U.S. Department of Defense official to Defense One.
Original estimates onboard pegged the number of “stowaways” at 800, but it was closer to 640. A U.S. Defense official noted that the crew made the decision to proceed with the refugees onboard, despite potential safety risks.
Although the C-17 is only designed to accommodate a fraction of the 640 passengers onboard, this evacuation flight did not even mark the highest passenger count on this jet. In 2013, a C-17 accommodated 670 people attempting to escape an oncoming typhoon in The Philippines.
An El Al Boeing 747-200 carried 1,088 people on a Boeing 747-200 from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in May 1991 in a mission known as Operation Solomon. (the flight departed with 1,086 passengers but two babies were born in-flight).
You can listen to part of the air traffic control recording for the Reach 871 C-17 mission here:
Exact recording found here https://t.co/aPsylMRhS3
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 15, 2021
CONCLUSION
Historians documenting the fall of Kabul will have so many remarkable images to choose from, but the picture above stands out as a riveting image of hopes, dreams, fears, and the brutal reality of life in Afghanistan.
image: Defense One
Why aren’t they fighting to defend their country.
It was fine for us to do it for them but after 20 years billions of dollars and how man thousands of American soldiers lives were lost 2 presidents have said enough is enough. Everyone of those people could have taken up arms against the taliban and defend their country. But no it’s easier to runaway.
I’m glad we are done with that country.
Y’all screwed things up in the country, you really have no right to criticize how the people react to it all.
It’s been screwed long before the US came in, and when the Taliban came rushing back it will return to its screwed up state.
The images are jarring and disturbing, but I think ultimately it is best to cut the cord, cold turkey. This shithole ain’t worth the trillions we burned.
You know Rob I had the same thought. If all the hundreds of thousands fleeing the country into Iran and Uzbekistan had fought the Taliban-what if?
I can’t believe three presidents kept us there this long.
It’s a state run by tribes, always has been, always will be. No cohesion. That’s why you can’t trust the Taliban leaders because they don’t control the tribes under them.
What a waste of blood and treasure…..
“You know Rob I had the same thought. If all the hundreds of thousands fleeing the country into Iran and Uzbekistan had fought the Taliban-what if?”
Considering how those fleeing didn’t have weapons, they probably would have been slaughtered.
The USA has f*cked up enough countries around the world in order to stop the “communist menace”. The USA abandoned Afghanistan when the soviets left and has abaondoned it again.
What about the Covids? The Delta variant? Where are the masks?!? Where is the social distancing? Oh the humanity…
Way to make light of a heart wrenching situation. Maybe you should count your lucky stars that you weren’t born there.
I have mixed feelings about this: it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t possible to prioritise those who’ve worked on behalf of foreign forces/missions, in admin roles, as interpreters, advisors etc. they are most at risk from the incoming lunatics. It is hoped there’ll be many evacuation flights to follow.
In one tragic episode of the evacuation flights from Saigon in 1975, a C-5 Galaxy loaded with orphans crashed trying to return to the airport after mechanical failure. More than 100 people died ( out of 350 or so), including the babies/young kids and accompanying personnel. It was part of Operation Babylift.
And one of the great, largely unsung, heroes of that airlift was Bob Macauley ( US businessman) who chartered a Pan Am 747 to evacuate remaining children , as the military couldn’t meet the need. He used his own money, mortgaging his house to fund it.
I know one of the “babies” that were evacuated. She celebrates the anniversary of the day of the evacuation every year as her “2nd Chance Birthday”
She became the mother of two children and is happily married in California
Good to know that CDC waived covid mandates for air travel. Can we take off our masks on plane now also?
Only if you are legitimately fleeing your country as a refugee. If not, man up, quit whining, and wear the mask.
Countries like this will always be treated as the litterbox of the world by the hardcore Islamic groups like the Talaban no matter what developed country tries to change things there. They will always end up falling back on their old athoratarian islamic ways such as how they treat women and lunacy punnishments such as stoning people to death. I can’t say I blame most Afgans for wanting to run from there. I highly doubt the Talaban would maintain a western sense of freedom as some of them claimed. They are just to addicted to their religion and its old harsh ways.