For several days now, chaos has reigned in Afghanistan. In question ? The Taliban take power in the country. The gigantic evacuation operation in Kabul, described by Joe Biden as “one of the most difficult in history”, has been mobilizing planes from all over the world for a week, in chaotic conditions, to evacuate through the airport from the Afghan capital of diplomats, other foreigners and Afghans fleeing a country fallen into the hands of the Taliban.
A Czech military pilot described the difficult conditions of aerial rotations, without real air control, without possible supply of kerosene on site and with perilous takeoffs.
Thousands of Americans evacuated
The United States, which plans to evacuate more than 30,000 Americans and Afghan civilians via its bases in Kuwait and Qatar, says it has already released more than 13,000 people since August 14.
But the US president said he could not guarantee the “final outcome” of this evacuation operation, one of the “most difficult in history” at the end of a twenty-year-long war in Afghanistan. .
Complicated access to the airport
If thousands of people have already been evacuated, the Taliban are now accused of tracking down Afghans who worked for NATO to arrest them, and of restricting access to the airport.
“We have more planes (available for evacuations) than passengers (ready to board), because it is an increasingly thorny challenge to allow these people to arrive at the airport”, underlined the leader of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg.
Poland will be responsible for the operation to evacuate 300 Afghan citizens who, in recent years, have worked with NATO.
Helipads to the rescue
The US military has deployed three helicopters to evacuate 169 Americans from a hotel near the airport, the Pentagon said on Friday. This is the first time that the US military has demonstrated its ability to leave the secure enclosure of the airport to come to the aid of people wishing to leave the country. The group planned to walk to the airport but crowds made it difficult to get there.
Germany, which has already secured 1,600 people, also plans to deploy two helicopters to secure evacuations, or even come to the aid of people in “dangerous situations” or in remote places. A German civilian was shot and wounded on his way to the airport, but his life is not in danger.
Efforts from all sides
A thousand Afghans have been evacuated to Italy in the last five days, or are in the process of being, waiting at the airport, the Minister of Defense said on Saturday.
The British government, for its part, said it had evacuated 1,615 people, including 399 British, 320 diplomatic staff and 402 Afghans.
Efforts also led by France: a fourth plane of exfiltrators from Kabul landed in Paris on Friday evening, with around a hundred people on board, including 99 Afghans. France has so far evacuated around 400 Afghans.
Romania, she sheltered more than 260 people when Spain for its part evacuated 158 Afghans, most of whom arrived on Friday evening.
Austria, which does not have its own means of evacuation, managed to get two nationals out, but 85 other Austrians and Afghans residing in Austria and seeking to escape remain stranded.