Chaos in Kabul: USA commit civil aviation to rescue

A week after the Taliban came to power, the situation in Afghanistan remains chaotic. Dramatic scenes take place at Kabul Airport. The US now wants to use civil aircraft to save people.

Mass panic, lost children and at least 20 deaths in a week: These are people who could no longer withstand the crush at Kabul airport and who lost their lives in the crowd. The most recent panic broke out because people were trapped at the gates of the airport. Seven people were killed in this alone. Many children are looking for their parents and vice versa. Local journalists report that several photos of missing children are now hanging at the airport.

The situation at the airport is still chaotic. According to the German Brigadier General Jens Arlt, word got around among the people seeking refuge that some gates to the airport were initially closed for security reasons. But this small sign of slight relaxation is just a snapshot. The German embassy warns against coming to the airport: “At the moment it is generally safer to stay at home or in a sheltered place.” But thousands of Afghans are still trying to get out of the country.

US government commits civil airlines to help

As before, it is important for the western states to fly out as many of their citizens and local employees as possible as quickly as possible. Time is running out, which is why the US Department of Defense has now also asked civil airlines in the US for support.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the first stage of a program in which he applied for 18 aircraft, the Pentagon announced. American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air are each to provide three machines. Hawaiian Airlines should offer two, United Airlines should offer four. The machines would take passengers away from stations outside of Kabul. This should allow the US military to concentrate on the transport from Afghanistan.

Taliban speak of a working relationship with the US

A representative of the Taliban called coping with the chaos at Kabul airport “a complex task”. According to their own statements, the Taliban had therefore agreed on a division of tasks with the USA. Accordingly, the posts outside the airport, where thousands of people have been crowding for days, are under the control of the Taliban. Those inside the compound would be controlled by the US soldiers.

Once again, the Taliban countered fears that reprisals against representatives of the previous government would take place. A Taliban representative told Reuters that there should be meetings with governors and officials in the next few days to clarify security and cooperation issues. “We are not forcing a previous government official to join us or to show his loyalty. You have the right to leave the country if you want,” said the Taliban, who did not want to be named.

Around 60 different nations are represented in Kabul. In order to ease the situation at Kabul airport, they are now looking for other ways to be able to fly people out. Everything in coordination with the Taliban, say the USA. Afghans are now supposed to gather elsewhere in the city in order to then get to the airport premises by helicopter or armored vehicles.

Many aid organizations want to stay

However, not all of the 150 international support organizations want to leave the country. Most of them want to stay – of the UN organizations even all of them – with around 300 foreign employees and around 3,000 local staff. Samantha Mort from UNICEF in Kabul said: “The Taliban have already asked us if we would like to stay and we want to. There are more than half a million internally displaced persons in the country. Half of the country needs humanitarian aid. We still need here the support of the international community. “

Birth on the runway in Ramstein

Good news came from Ramstein. An Afghan gave birth to a baby on the runway at the US air force base. The woman was in a machine from the Middle East to Germany when her labor began, as a spokesman for the base said. In addition, there were complications due to low blood pressure, which is why the pilot lowered the flight altitude, increased the air pressure in the machine and thus helped to save the mother-to-be. She gave birth to her baby on Saturday afternoon shortly after landing on the plane, with the help of paramedics who had rushed over. Mother and child are doing well, it said.

Ramstein serves as a hub for evacuations from the Afghan capital to relieve the base in Qatar. According to the spokesman, 30 machines had arrived at the US base in Rhineland-Palatinate by Sunday noon, a total of around 5,000 people from Afghanistan landed there. They are looked after by US soldiers, their relatives and volunteers. According to the spokesman, no more flights with people from Afghanistan on board are expected on Sunday. However, the Bundeswehr flew another 196 people from Afghanistan from Kabul to Tashkent. From there, people are then brought to Germany with other machines.

G7 meeting on Afghanistan on Tuesday

Next Tuesday they want to discuss the explosive situation in Afghanistan with the G7 countries. This was announced by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Britain currently chairs the group of leading western industrial nations. In addition to Germany and Great Britain, it also includes France, Italy, Canada, Japan and the USA. It is crucial that the international community work together to ensure safe evacuations and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, said Johnson.

The White House confirmed US President Joe Biden’s attendance at the summit. The heads of state and government of the G7 would discuss the further coordination of their Afghanistan policy and the evacuation of their own citizens and vulnerable Afghans, it said in a communication. The US also wanted to discuss humanitarian aid plans.

With information from Silke Diettrich, ARD Studio New Delhi