KABUL – A photo shows more than 600 Afghans – women, men, children and the elderly – sitting packed on the floor of a cavernous United States (US) military plane, part of a dramatic airlift hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban.
The now-viral image, obtained and posted by the respected military news site Defense One, was taken inside a US Air Force C-17 transport.
The Afghans crammed in the giant cargo hold on the Sunday night flight were among those approved for evacuation by US authorities, according to the site.
The US military said about 640 Afghans were on board.
But such a large number on one flight was not planned, a US official told Defense One – many climbed onto the half-open ramp at the back of the plane in desperation.
“The crew made the decision to go” rather than force them out, the official said.
It came as Taliban fighters flooded the streets of Kabul, with panicked citizens rushing to the airport to try and find a flight out of Afghanistan.
“The unusually high number of passengers aboard this aircraft... was the result of a dynamic security environment that necessitated quick decision making by the crew,” US Central Command spokesman Karen Roxberry said in a statement.
It “ultimately ensured that these passengers were safely taken outside the country”.
Among the people visible in the photo is a small child holding a feeding bottle in the lap of a woman. Several other people are seen holding small children.
Hardly any belongings are visible among the passengers, except a small suitcase and a backpack in the foreground.
The flight – which Defense One said had the call sign Reach 871 – landed in Qatar in the early hours yesterday, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
The US military did not specify the destination.
This C-17 was not the only one to take so many Afghans out of the country – Defense One cited the US official as saying several planes took off from Kabul with similar numbers.
It is also not the first time Boeing C-17s – workhorses of the US Air Force transport fleet – have been used for such a large evacuation.
In 2013, a US C-17 flew out more than 670 people from the eastern Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.
In its usual configuration, a C-17 carries just over 100 troops with equipment.
Chaos, desperation
There have been desperate and chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, where the apron and runway were flooded yesterday by thousands of people hoping to get a flight out of the country.
Many were not eligible for evacuation flights, did not have tickets on commercial flights or even visas.
In harrowing videos shared on social media, hundreds of people are seen running next to a C-17 as it appears to gather speed, some clinging to the sides of the plane.
In another, attack helicopters are seen flying low near the crowds in an apparent attempt to clear the runway for an aircraft.
Afghan media reported that several people died after falling from planes as they took off.
One person died in the landing gear well of a C-17 that took off from Kabul, the Washington Post and Politico reported.
The desperation is complete. Afghans don’t want to be left behind as US evacuates. pic.twitter.com/efZgNcyzpU
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 16, 2021
Kabul airport scenes ‘shameful’ for West
Germany’s president on today criticised Western powers over the chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport.
“The images of desperation at the Kabul airport are shameful for the political West,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, calling the situation in Afghanistan a “human tragedy for which we share responsibility”.
Germany is duty-bound to “do everything it can to bring our people, and all Afghans who stood for years by their side, to safety”, said Steinmeier, who was previously the foreign minister.
It also has to help those in Afghanistan who are at risk, including “many courageous women”, he said.
“The failure of the years-long efforts to build a stable and viable society in Afghanistan raises fundamental questions for the past and future of our foreign policy and military engagement,” he said.
German forces were deployed for almost two decades in Afghanistan as part of the US-led Nato operation.
The 150,000 men and women sent by Germany at various points over the years made it the second biggest contributor of Nato troops there, after the United States.
Germany withdrew its last troops at the end of June following Washington’s decision to leave the country. – AFP, August 17, 2021
