Saturday, August 21, 2021
Situation “dangerous” and “volatile”
Bundeswehr flies more than 200 people from Kabul
The evacuation operation by the German armed forces in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul continues to prove difficult. More than 200 people have recently been flown out. However, the Federal Foreign Office speaks of a dangerous situation. Thousands of people are waiting at the airport.
The security situation at Kabul airport has worsened dangerously and made rescue operations by Germany and other NATO countries much more difficult. The Bundeswehr flew more than 200 people from Kabul on Saturday – some evacuation flights sometimes had fewer than a dozen people on board. The Foreign Office said the situation at the Afghan capital’s airport was “dangerous” and “volatile”. The US embassy warned against coming to the airport.
A week ago, the radical Islamic Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. Since then, countless people have tried desperately to leave the country. Thousands of Afghans with exit papers were waiting for flights at Kabul airport on Saturday. US soldiers prevented thousands of undocumented people from entering the airport.
By Saturday noon, the Bundeswehr said it had flown a total of more than 2,000 people from Kabul. Two German planes launched on Saturday could only bring seven and eight people respectively to Uzbekistan, as the Bundeswehr announced on Twitter. In a later Bundeswehr transport, significantly more people in need of protection went on board – it flew 205 people from the country conquered by the militant Islamist Taliban. Later that evening, the Bundeswehr reported the start of another machine on Twitter with only 20 passengers on board. “The situation in Kabul continues to be difficult.”
“We take everyone to be protected”
“We take everyone to be protected who is on the plane,” said the Ministry of Defense in the morning. There were major problems with the entrances to the airport, where dramatic scenes continue to take place. An eyewitness reported to the German Press Agency that thousands of people stayed there. The Federal Foreign Office tweeted: “The security situation at the airport in Kabul is still extremely dangerous, and access to the airport is often not possible.” The Foreign Office later said that the gates would be opened and closed at short notice. “Situation remains dangerous & volatile.”
US Major General William Taylor said on Saturday at the Pentagon that entrance gates had only been closed for a short time in the past 24 hours so that “the right people” could pass. The US armed forces had evacuated a total of around 3800 people in the previous 24 hours. Since the start of the evacuation mission in Afghanistan a week ago, the US military has flown a total of 17,000 people from Kabul. Taylor went on to say: “No change in the current enemy situation in and around the airport has been reported.”
The German and American embassies in Kabul advised their citizens against attempting to reach the airport. “At the moment it is generally safer to stay at home or in a sheltered place,” wrote the German embassy to compatriots. The US embassy called on American citizens to avoid the airport due to possible security threats. The Afghan civil aviation authority made it clear that there would be no more civil and commercial flights.
CNN: Around 14,000 people at the airport
Kirby did not want to comment on security threats when asked. However, he pointed out that the situation around the airport is not stable and is constantly changing. Another eyewitness told the dpa that there were people from all walks of life at Kabul Airport. He has seen actors in the crowd, well-known television personalities, teenagers, women with newborn babies or people in wheelchairs. The US broadcaster CNN reported, citing an “informed source”, that around 14,000 people were at the airport.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby said there were “a small number” of Americans who had been harassed or beaten by the Taliban on their way to the airport in the past few days. This also applies to Afghan supporters of the US operation. Most Americans would, however, be let through the Taliban’s checkpoints. Those responsible at the Taliban had been informed of the incidents. According to the US government, the militant Islamists have promised to let Americans pass.
The Bundeswehr moved two helicopters to Kabul in order to have more options for evacuations. The agile helicopters arrived in Kabul on Saturday morning and are ready for use, according to the Defense Ministry. It is planned to use it in Kabul to “take in smaller groups to be evacuated in the urban area and transport them safely to the airport,” said the Bundeswehr. At first there was no information about specific missions. According to Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the helicopters can only be used in coordination with the Americans and the other partner countries.
Taliban deputy in Kabul
The deputy head of the militant Islamist Taliban has also been in Kabul since Saturday, Taliban circles told the German Press Agency. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar wanted to talk to Taliban members and other politicians about the formation of a new government, it said. Baradar would be the highest-ranking Taliban leader to have arrived in Kabul. However, there were no pictures of him in the city in the evening either. It is unclear where Taliban leader Haibatullah Achundsada and his two other deputies are.
Less than a week ago, the Taliban captured Kabul and took power. Since then, members of the opposition, journalists, human rights activists and local staff who worked for Western countries have feared acts of revenge. It is largely unclear how the Islamists will rule this time. It is feared that the extremists want to re-establish an Islamic “emirate” and that they will use draconian punishments against those who think differently.
The Bundeswehr had started its evacuation campaign for German and Afghan local staff at the beginning of the week, and by Saturday afternoon they said they had brought around 1900 people to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. From there, the evacuees are taken to Germany. Kramp-Karrenbauer assured that the Bundeswehr will continue the evacuation under high pressure. “The situation is difficult, but we will stick to the possibilities and everything that arises on site to get as many out as possible,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. Pentagon spokesman Kirby said, “We know we are fighting both time and space. This is the race we are in right now.”
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