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This article is available in German: LINK.
The Taliban overran Afghanistan in a matter of months, leaving many Afghans risking life and wellbeing to attempt an escape.
The United States took control of Kabul Airport forcing it into operation, while evacuating primarily its own citizens and other foreigners.
US forces shot and killed two armed men who fired on them. There is no indication that the two men were not Taliban members.
Videos are abound online showing desperate Afghans clinging to US military planes as they take off.
There is gruesome footage showing people falling out of flying airplanes and into people’s houses.
About 2,500 US troops were at the airport, by the end of August 17th, the US Department of Defense expects a reinforcement to arrive, up to 3,000.
In the days leading to August 19th, this number is expected to reach 6,000 to guarantee security at the airport.
The US military had temporarily suspended air operations at the airport while US troops cleared Afghans who had flooded onto the airfield in a desperate rush to escape the Taliban.
It is understandable that the Afghans feel completely abandoned and reeling. US CENTCOM commanding officer General Frank McKenzie met with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar, to underscore that the sole US mission was to get people out safely.
As the Biden administration prioritizes the evacuation of American personnel from the country, it curtailed the number of government-sponsored evacuation flights to the United States for Afghans who worked alongside the US for the time being.
Afghans’ sense of abandonment and possibly betrayal is entirely justified.
It is every man for himself, and Afghan soldiers found another way to escape from the country under the Taliban’s control.
On August 14 and 15, about 22 military aircraft and 24 military helicopters of the Afghan Air Force entered the airspace of Uzbekistan. According to various reports, at least 500 Afghan soldiers had run away up until that point.
On August 15, three Afghan military aircraft Embraer 314 requested landing at Khanabad Airport in Uzbekistan. One Afghan aircraft and a MiG-29 of Uzbekistan Air Force collided and crashed in the Sherabad district of Surkhandarya region. According to the claims of Uzbek officials.
Another Afghan aircraft was intercepted by Uzbek air defense forces in the same region.
Two planes with military personnel from Afghanistan have recently landed in Tajikistan. The aircraft were allowed to land at the airport of the city of Bokhtar after having sent the SOS signals.
The Afghan Armed Forces have entirely given up, after the president resigned and simply fled the country, together with other top officials.
Meanwhile, the Taliban reportedly declared a general amnesty, including for all government officials and urged them to return to work, two days after taking power following a lightning sweep through the country.
The Taliban say that they will shortly have full control over Kabul and that all government workers and others should return to their daily lives.
