This archive report was first published on 22 August 2021.
Taliban Blame US for Airport Chaos as Afghans Face Impossible Evacuation ¶
Published on August 22, 2021
The Taliban has blamed the United States for the chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans and foreigners from Kabul, one week after the hardline Islamist group returned to power in a rapid victory that stunned the world.
According to the Taliban, the US has failed to bring order to the airport, with Taliban official Amir Khan Mutaqi stating, 'America, with all its power and facilities… has failed to bring order to the airport. There is peace and calm all over the country, but there is chaos only at Kabul airport.'
However, the US and its allies have warned of security threats and the European Union has admitted it is 'impossible' to evacuate everyone at risk from the Taliban, who have vowed a softer version of their brutal rule from 1996 to 2001.
Despite the warnings, terrified Afghans continue to try to flee, deepening a tragedy at Kabul airport where the US and its allies have been unable to cope with the huge numbers of people trying to get on evacuation flights.
Britain's defence ministry has reported that seven people have died in the crowds, while harrowing videos have emerged of babies and children being passed to soldiers over razor-wire fences and men clinging to the outside of departing planes.
During the distress of evacuation, an Afghan woman went into labour on a US Air Force flight and gave birth to a baby girl in the plane's cargo bay moments after landing at a base in Germany.
The crisis has led to mounting criticism of the US and its Western allies, which this year pressed on with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as the government and security forces struggled to contain rising Taliban violence.
G7 leaders will discuss the situation in a virtual summit on Tuesday, with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating, 'It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.'
The US has set a deadline to complete the evacuations by August 31, with up to 15,000 Americans and 50,000 to 60,000 Afghan allies who need to be evacuated, according to the Biden administration.
Countless others fear repression under the Taliban and are also trying to flee.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has been focusing on forming a government, with co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar flying into Kabul and planning to meet jihadi leaders, elders, and politicians in the coming days.
However, there have been flickers of resistance with some ex-government troops gathering in the Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul, long known as an anti-Taliban bastion.
One of the leaders of the movement, named the National Resistance Front, is the son of famed anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The NRF is prepared for a 'long-term conflict' but is also still seeking to negotiate with the Taliban about an inclusive government, with spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary stating, 'The conditions for a peace deal with the Taliban is decentralisation, a system that ensures social justice, equality, rights, and freedom for all.'
