April 25, 2024

Balkan Travellers

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Afghanistan: First death in Kabul airport chaos

The situation around Kabul airport is more chaotic than ever. Thousands of Afghans, with or without their families, have gathered from the capital every day, with the faintest hope of flying under the yoke of the Taliban. Entering the airport area, which is managed by the US military and the Afghan Special Forces, is a miracle. It was in this daily chaos that this “siege” caused his first death.

Images were filmed By the British news channel Sky News Show the bodies of at least three people who were crushed by people pressing against the airport gates and caught between American soldiers on one side and Islamist militants on the other. Sky correspondent Stuart Ramsay, who was at the airport, said those in front of the crowd were “crushed” and that doctors were rushing from one injured person to another. These pictures show that many more were injured.

“People are dehydrated and scared,” the reporter said. His crew filmed the crowd spraying through a garden hose, who said they “used anything to keep them cool.” He said the deaths were “unavoidable” in light of the surrounding chaos.

It is “impossible” to expel all Afghan collaborators by August 31.

It was in this dramatic context that the head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borel, considered it “impossible.” All Afghan collaborators must be expelled by August 31 And lamented that security measures taken by the United States at Kabul airport were an impediment to this evacuation. “The problem is access to the airport. The control and security measures of the Americans are very strong. We complained. We asked them to show more flexibility. We could not deal with our staff,” he told AFP in a telephone interview.

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There is truth in the teeth of this arrival of American troops and Afghans. As can be seen in the video that is now going viral on social websites, there is humanity in the middle of the barbed wire for some to evict a child in the middle of a crowd. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: “Parents have asked the Navy to take care of the baby as he is unwell. “It’s an act of compassion,” he added. According to CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, the sailors were helping another child or an elderly man who was in distress. But for the majority, people in distress, the fences are not open.

Behind them, the Taliban, It is now accused of spying on Afghans working in NATO He mocked the scene to prevent them – and to restrict access to the airport.

Video. Afghanistan: Images of chaos near Kabul airport

So the situation seems to be even more tense this Saturday. The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan on Saturday urged U.S. citizens to refrain from traveling to the airport due to “security threats.” “We advise U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to and from airport gates unless they receive personal instructions from U.S. government officials due to possible security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport,” the embassy’s website said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to comment further on the nature of the threats: “I will not elaborate on what our assessment or intelligence says about the threats.” The situation in the city was very “volatile” and the threat could develop “from one hour to another”. “We are in constant contact with Taliban leaders in Kabul, especially those responsible for crossings at the airport,” he said.

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17,000 have already been deported by the Americans

About 17,000 people, including about 25,000 Americans, have been deported by the United States since Aug. 14, U.S. Secretary of State General Hong Taylor said Saturday. In the last 24 hours, about 3,800 people have been evacuated on 38 flights, he said. At the same time, three planes arrived at Washington International Airport. The United States plans to expel more than 30,000 Americans and Afghan civilians through its bases in Kuwait and Qatar. “We are fighting against time and space,” John Kirby said.

Arrivals and trends of U.S. military aircraft were disrupted for several hours on Friday as the site The place where they landed in Qatar was complete. The situation there is even on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. “Thousands of Afghans are in dire straits. This is our third day, there is only one bathroom and one WC. No blankets,” one source told AFP.

According to Qatari officials, “everyone who has been evicted has been provided with adequate accommodation”, but the US State Department has been criticized for mismanaging deportations, shortening staffing and slowing down official departures.