At Kabul airport, barbed wire and gunfire prevent access to the airport

Published on : 08/19/2021 – 19:57

Four days after the Taliban arrived in Kabul, evacuations accelerated. The Taliban have assured that they will let foreigners and Afghans who so wish go. Access to the airport is however difficult, making it difficult to evacuate those who want to leave.

At least 12 people have died at the airport since August 15, according to NATO officials. A Taliban official told Reuters the deaths were caused by shoving or shooting, adding that people who do not have travel permission must return home.

According to witnesses, Taliban officials have prevented people from accessing the airport, although they have documents allowing them to travel in order. According to our Observer, who was at the airport on the morning of August 19, Afghan security forces and US soldiers fired several warning shots.

Videos posted on social media show the chaos outside the airport:

“My brothers, please step back behind the barbed wire”

Mahmoud (first name has been changed), an Afghan student, flew to the airport on Thursday hoping to board a commercial flight. He fears being targeted by the Taliban for participating in student exchanges with American universities.

I had a ticket for a commercial flight scheduled for today. I called the airline yesterday [18 août 2021, NDLR] and they told me commercial flights would resume on thursday [19 août, NDLR]. I arrived at the airport around 8 am. There were Taliban checkpoints along the way. They asked me where I was going, I said I was going to the airport. They did not ask me to show any documents. There were no checkpoints on the way to the airport.

When I reached the main entrance to the airport, the gate was closed and there were Taliban fighters in front. They told me to go to the entrance to the military part of the airport, two or three kilometers from the main entrance.

When I got there, I saw American troops and Afghan special forces. The Americans let people in in groups of three or four, lifting the barbed wire. When there was a family, they let all the family members pass.

There were many Afghans hoping to enter. It was really chaotic. Most of them had no valid documents, passports or plane tickets. Some had come with electricity bills. Others had fake visas. There were rumors that American soldiers were letting people pass on fake visas.

American soldiers repeatedly told people to back down. They gave warnings in English, Pashto and Dari, but no one paid attention. Men, women and children continued to press against the barbed wire. I saw people bleeding, torn clothes.

Then I saw the American soldiers fire warning shots in the air, just above our heads. Afghan soldiers also fired. The American soldiers used some sort of “bomb” which made a loud noise and a flash of light, then smoke which made us suffocate. I couldn’t see anything anymore.

I don’t know what to do now. Even if commercial flights resume tomorrow, I will no longer go to the airport if the situation remains the same. It’s too dangerous.