As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, thousands have descended upon Kabul Airport in a desperate bid to escape. The result has been chaos and bloodshed, with stowaways seen falling from the sky and at least three Afghans killed in the passenger terminal earlier this morning with several more dying during a stampede on the tarmac.
Kabul Airport Chaos
On Sunday, the Taliban encircled Kabul, sending shockwaves to Afghans in the capital city who thought the government would fight back. Instead, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Uzbekistan and in a scene reminiscent of Saigon circa 1975, American helicopters evacuated embassy staff from the green zone to the airport.
Thousands have been promised safe passage out of Afghanistan, including those who worked for the Americans and other western governments and now fear retribution from the Taliban, but the sudden and precipitous collapse of the country has left many of those promises unkept and led many to take more desperate measures.
In one harrowing video shared on Twitter, a person can be seen falling from the sky from what appears to be an American military C-17 airplane:
Oh my God.
Desperate Afghans are hanging on the plane tires and falling from the sky near the Kabul airport pic.twitter.com/OhIscfDNWd
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 16, 2021
Here’s a shot of Afghans hanging onto tires of a C-17 aircraft as it departed:
Here in this video you see some of the Afghan youth hanging on the American airplane’s engines before take off in the Kabul airport pic.twitter.com/msb8UbZO9D
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 16, 2021
From another angle:
#BREAKING: Here is 02-1109 almost 2 hours ago in #Kabul, #Afghanistan with a crowd of civilians running around trying to grab its wheels while it was taxiing before take-off! This #USAF C-17A serialled 02-1109 just landed in Al-Dhafra carrying almost 800 Afghan refugees onboard! https://t.co/OgM2G7aq1f pic.twitter.com/sZwwYDBGLi
— Babak Taghvaee – Μπάπακ Τακβαίε – بابک تقوایی (@BabakTaghvaee) August 16, 2021
Meanwhile, at least three people were killed by gunfire in Kabul’s passenger terminal as solider and airport staff have deserted the premise. Looting of coffee shops and duty free took place while American soldiers are now maintaining security at the airport.
Up to five others were killed in a stampede that took place as desperate Afghans tried to board a departing flight on Monday morning. Others are boarding vacant aircraft at KBL in hopes of being allowed to remain onboard.
This is the civilian part of #Kabul Airport, #Afghanistan. These Afghans are not on the evacuation list of #US. They are trying to find a way to flee from #Taliban. They even are breaking into every civilian aircraft they find including this Airbus A340-313 of KamAir. pic.twitter.com/F7b5fFODbD
— Babak Taghvaee – Μπάπακ Τακβαίε – بابک تقوایی (@BabakTaghvaee) August 16, 2021
All scheduled passenger flights have now been cancelled while military and evacuation flights depart out of the other side of the airport. U.S. troops repeatedly fired into the air as thousands swarmed past perimeters and onto the tarmac, desperate to leave the country.
These pictures were shared on Twitter:
CONCLUSION
What a sad day for Afghanistan. My heart breaks for the people of Afghanistan, even as Taliban 2.0 promises a more gentle governance than the 1996-2001 period. Hopefully the western governments who promised safe passage and asylum to those Afghans who worked closely with them over the last two decades will keep their word and we will see no more Afghans falling from the sky in a desperate attempt to leave their own country.
A massive airlift has begun:
#KabulAirlift – Aircraft Tracking Sheet – Version 1.3 (11:00BST 16/08/2021)
Data collected via @flightradar24, @ADSBexchange and @planefinderCreated with help from the amazing @vcdgf555 (go give them a follow if you don’t already!)#Afghanistan #Taliban pic.twitter.com/7UyMSrsK7A
— DefenceGeek (@DefenceGeek) August 16, 2021
May god have mercy on the people of Afghanistan. The manner in which this whole saga unfolded is truly shameful, I hope the US and ISAF are commit to defending those who helped our troops.
The idiot Grandpa Joe decides to withdraw troops with no thought out plan. A 4 year old could have done a better job. Receiving blowies from nasty Kamala is his top priority. What do you expect?
How does Trump’s taint taste Ben?
Very well said!!! What a mess now!!!
Those of us of a certain vintage will be saddened by the very obvious comparison with Saigon in April 1975. This episode in Kabul is shameful : a disgraceful failure by those who knew this day was coming, but failed…abysmally…in the planning for it. My country, Australia, is the worst of all, potentially leaving thousands of Afghans who supported the troops/embassy to the Taliban. Totally shameful.
My heart is breaking over these images. I hoped it wouldn’t end this way. but the reality is that the American people by majority want this over. As well, there was little justification to stay given the corruption and tribalism that prevailed the past 20 years. Despite the efforts of the coalition Governments there this became the definition of insanity years ago – and it’s all too clear that the only ones willing to die for control are the Taliban. Biden will take a lot of heat over this. Though I believe the decision was a right and brave one. However, it’s clear the execution of the withdrawal was poorly planned. That much he will have to live with. Next up will be the mess that unfolds in Pakistan as a result…a mess they brought upon themselves.
Hmmmm… Didn’t the USSR do this in ‘89? How did that turn out?
79. No one ever wins in Afghanistan.
And the British in 1842. Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.
And many times before that, including the English retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad in 1842 , with only one officer making it alive ( Dr William Brydon, the subject of the very famous Victorian painting by Elizabeth Butler: Remnants of an Army, depicting Brydon on his horse)
They showed up in late 1979. They finally left 10 years later (1989).
They left in 1989, yes…..
Fantastic news for the Afghan people to reclaim their country from the American imperialists and their puppet government. Joe Biden is now a great friend of the Taliban. I hope the country prospers under its new leadership, God willing.
Well will certainly not be fun for some groups of people with 15th century back in force!
Yeah but isn’t it great to not have mean tweets?
Where are the planes landing after leaving Kabul ?
The US planes are going to bases in Qatar and/or Kuwait.
Taliban promises are worthless.
I’ve seen non-partisan news reports using words like “colossal failure”, rapid speed of the fall shocking, “humiliation”, etc. Clearly the management of the US exit was negligent. It’s because there was only emphasis on the date, out by 9/11/2021.
One trouble is that very few countries can copy the US style of fighting. For example, complex supply chain management results in costs of up to $400/gallon for fuel in the most remote US outposts. Afghanistan cannot afford paying the equivalent of 1-2 months wages for one gallon of fuel in a remote military outpost. So it’s not just a matter of training.
There is a cheaper method of fighting, such as using horses but the US Army doesn’t train that way and can’t train the Afghans that way very easily. It would be like a lawyer trying to teach an Afghan to do heart transplant surgery and post-operative transplant management.
Just look at the other way around. In 2001, the CIA took over parts of Afghanistan by just a few bands of agents, horses, and rifles in a matter of weeks because the CIA has some expertise in alternate ways of fighting without drones, satellites, and jet fighters.
So the pullout is debatable politics but the way it was done deserves a grade of F.
The video of the U.S. Air Force C-17 taxing with people running under and climbing onto the bird is surreal. This debacle in on Biden, period. The gall of his White House to try and blame Trump; yes, the former president and fallow former President Obama both wanted U.S. forces out of the country. But Biden has been in office since January and has reversed every other Trump action; surely the “foreign policy expert” Biden could have spent more time listening to his generals and devising a more structured withdrawal. The idea that U.S. citizens in Kabul have been told to “shelter in place” and go onto a State Dept website to devise a way out of the country is beyond the pale. Obama said it best himself in a hot mic moment: “Never underestimate the ability of Joe to f**k things up.”
That’s BS. the blame lies ENTIRELY on Bush2/Cheney/Rumsfeld for getting into this war with NO clear objective and NO clear way to exit. The right-wing in this country has a way of forgetting history and blaming others for their complete lack of planning.
Sorry Dog, that dog won’t hunt. Biden upon assuming office could have executed a better withdrawal plan that did not leave so many Americans and friendlies behind lines. The only reason the media is not currently taking up the Bush/Cheney blame line is that Bush hates Trump and Cheney’s daughter is now a hero the the left.
Was there ever going to be any other outcome? Either we stayed there forever to maintain this super fragile stability or we let the Afghans fight it out themselves. Seems like they didn’t want to fight so this is what happens.
Biden ripped off the band-aid off but this is a 20 year failure of the: CIA, Pentagon and every US admin since 9/11.
Nothing short of I would expect from this incompetent puppet that was on vacation while Americans were fighting for their lives in Afghanistan. This is the legacy this dinosaur is will leave behind.
A puppet is an understatement. Totally incompetent, does not have any idea how foreign policy works. The Taliban is laughing at the old useless puppet. I hope Kamala jerked him off while on vacation in the mountains. What an embarrassment!
That’s BS. the blame lies ENTIRELY on Bush2/Cheney/Rumsfeld for getting into this war with NO clear objective and NO clear way to exit. The right-wing in this country has a way of forgetting history and blaming others for their complete lack of planning.
LOL!! Typical Democrat. Never take accountability for any mistakes but blame on others. The Methuselah of DC is showing his well known incompetency.
Nah, that’s the Republican playbook, especially with things hit the merde.
A puppet is an understatement. Totally incompetent, does not have any idea how foreign policy works. The Taliban is laughing at the old useless puppet. I hope Kamala jerked him off while on vacation in the mountains. What an embarrassment!
You really need to stop fantasizing about Kamala jerking off Biden.
“The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely,” Biden told reporters on July 8.
Really grandpa Joe??