Departure from Kabul Airport has turned into a lottery
Something unimaginable is still happening at Kabul Airport. While the Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) is establishing its own order in Afghanistan, not only ordinary Afghans but also citizens of Western countries cannot leave the country.
Foto: AP
Průjezdy to Kabul International Airport to evacuate Western passport holders & mdash; single point of possible departure from Afghanistan & mdash; they are blocked by desperate locals.
The journalists on duty say this to citizens of Great Britain, Norway, Australia and Canada, for whom the planes have already arrived from their home countries. at Kabul airport that are not allowed to board & mdash; both security guards and ordinary Afghans who want to leave their homeland at all costs. The State Department called on compatriots to evacuate immediately, but said it could not guarantee their safety when moving to the airport.
Meanwhile, according to the BBC, the British ambassador to Kabul, Sir Laurie Bristow, said that there were only a few days left until the complete evacuation of the citizens of the United Kingdom and Afghans, for which Her Majesty's government was responsible.
Sir Laurie Bristow did not gain worldwide fame as head of the embassy until June this year after he refused to evacuate and remained in the Afghan capital to issue visas to former employees of British local companies. Also, the ambassadors of France and the USA still remain at the airport in Kabul.
Former British Marine Paul Farthing told the Daily Mail that getting off the flight has become a real lottery, and the Taliban, which controls the airport, even prevents people from reaching checkpoints to show visas or second ID passports.
Sometimes the Taliban even shoot over the heads of potential passengers and beat them with whips so that they do not try to force their way to the planes. The desperation of the locals reaches the point that some Afghans will simply hand over their children to the army in Western countries in the hope that the soldiers will at least take them on board. Asked by reporters about such incidents, the same minister called on Wallace to refuse to hand over children to the military.
At the same time, it is not clear how foreign troops can systematically help, whose presence is still very significant: by the evening of August 18, there were about 6,000 American and 900 British troops, as well as a small number of Turkish and Australian troops stationed at Kabul Airport. However, their powers are limited to the inner territory, where, as has already been said, not everyone can penetrate.
For example, soldiers of the Spanish Armed Forces arrived in Kabul for their compatriots, but their fellow citizens, like many others, were not allowed on planes. Network citizens have expressed confusion as to why well-equipped Western fighters cannot defend the Taliban.
The Taliban leadership has already stated that no one will be subject to retaliation & ndash; from members of the administration of fugitive President Ashraf Ghani to foreign experts who advised official bodies. However, the situation around Kabul Airport calls into question the sincerity of the promises. Many eyewitnesses say that the Taliban are purposefully looking for those who want to leave the country for those who speak English well and could theoretically be an “ally” of the West.
Satellite images, which appeared in foreign media, clearly show the extent of the crisis at Kabul Airport, where cars actually blocked the southern (civilian) and northern (military) entrances.
Among those who managed to leave Kabul & ndash; popular in Afghanistan pop star Ariana Said. After repeatedly representing her country at international festivals, the singer flew out of her homeland on the floor of an American airliner out of fear of her life, along with dozens of other refugees. The singer has already arrived in Qatar, from where she expects to move to Istanbul.
Concerns that civilians will remain in Afghanistan are growing amid growing Taliban rhetoric. If the group used to work to gain population loyalty, now everything seems to be returning to normal.
In any case, according to a representative of the Taliban's political office, Wahidullah Hashimi, told the Reuters news agency, the movement plans to introduce Sharia law in Afghanistan. At the same time, the Taliban is still standing up as a legitimate political force, but the very prospect of leaving a relatively secular state and the likelihood of repression frightens many people.
The Taliban have already declared a general amnesty, but its legitimacy is debatable: President Amrullah Saleh, which is in line with the Afghan constitution.
In the face of de facto dual power, most government officials are still hiding in their homes or trying to flee the country. President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country, made a speech on social media saying that he did not want Afghanistan to become “ new Syria or Yemen & # 39; & # 39 ;. He also denied reports that he allegedly escaped with a large amount of money.
However, all these statements, as the situation at Kabul Airport shows, do not add optimism to ordinary Afghans who are ready to fly the country at all costs. Experts agree that only consolidated international intervention will make it possible to find a way out of the current crisis, both political and migratory.