Five Killed at Kabul Airport, Chaos in Afghan Capital

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 16: At least five people were reported killed and dozens of others injured in gunshots and stampede as chaos prevailed at the Kabul airport with thousands of people trying to enter into the planes leaving war-torn Afghanistan.

Eye-witnesses said they had seen bodies being carried to some vehicles but none were sure whether the deaths occurred due to gunshots opened by the Taliban extremists in and around the airport or were crushed in stampede in trying to gatecrash into the planes.

The US troops still supposed to be in-charge of the Kabul airport where the US has shifted its embassy staff, had earlier fired in the air to scatter the crowd. A US official said troops had fired in the air to deter people trying to force their way onto a military flight that was set to take diplomats and embassy staff out of the fallen city. The United States has temporarily halted all evacuation flights from Kabul to clear people who had converged on the airfield, a US defense official said an added he did know how long the pause would last.

Most other nations, meanwhile, are closing their embassies and prioritising on evacuation of its nationals.

In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. The Taliban militants entered Kabul on August 15 and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government.

The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America’s longest war, which began after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks masterminded by al-Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden, then harboured by the Taliban government.

Kabul, the ultimate prize in every Afghanistan war, fell to the Taliban on Sunday, completing their takeover of the country in a lightning offensive that saw provinces and warlords give up without a fight, days after the hasty withdrawal of the US troops. On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, first to Tajikistan and on being denied entry there later to Oman from where he was expected to take refuge in the United States, hours after Taliban fighters showed up on the outskirts of Kabul and their chiefs demanded transfer of power to avoid bloodshed. The Afghan presidential house was taken over by the Taliban on Monday.

The Indian external affairs ministry spokesman on Monday said the situation in Kabul has “deteriorated significantly” in the last few days. “We’ve been issuing periodic advisories for the safety and security of Indian nationals, including calling for their immediate return to India,” he said during a media briefing. “We are in touch with representatives of Afghan Sikh, Hindu communities…will facilitate those who want to leave Afghanistan,” he added.

In the Afghan capital, a tense calm set in with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. Media reports said there were scattered news of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets of Kabul. Fighters were seen searching vehicles at one of the city’s main squares.

Many fear chaos, after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away, or a return to the kind of brutal rule the Taliban imposed when it was last in power.

The UK Parliament, currently on its summer recess, has been recalled for a day on Wednesday to debate the British government’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government and seized control of Kabul.

Media reports said the Speaker of the House of Commons granted a request from the government to recall the House of Commons at 9.30 am on Wednesday, August 18, in relation to the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened another emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting on Monday to take stock of the crisis in the region.

In Delhi, outside the Afghan embassy, Sadaf Habeeb, a 22-year-old from Kabul, was hoping for some clarity on the possibility of help for her family members back home, and for someone to allay the uncertainty she has been feeling over her status in India now that the Taliban has established control over her country.

Officials at the embassy were non-committal and seemed unsure of what was coming next themselves, said Sadaf, who made the visit with her mother. She is frightened, she said, for her grandparents, uncles and friends who are in Kabul. “Having fled with my parents from Taliban attacks five years ago, we know what they can do,” Sadaf said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday seemed to endorse the Taliban taking over Kabul by saying that Afghanistan has broken the “shackles of slavery” in the neighbouring war-torn country. Khan said becoming a mental slave was worse than being an actual slave, adding that subjugated minds can never make big decisions.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will have an impact on South Asia and beyond, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. Dhaka has urged on all sections in Afghanistan to maintain peace and ensure safety of all including foreign nationals.

In a statement issued after the dramatic takeover of capital Kabul by Taliban fighters, Dhaka has said Afghanistan is an “integral part of South Asia” and that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina feels the South Asian region “must grow and prosper together for this development to be sustainable”.

“Bangladesh believes that a democratic and pluralistic Afghanistan as chosen by its people is the only guarantee of stability and development in the country. In this regard, Bangladesh considers itself a potential development partner and a friend of Afghanistan,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

Dhaka said, task of rebuilding Afghanistan is upon the people of Afghanistan.  “Bangladesh would be happy to continue to work with the people of Afghanistan and the international community for the socio-economic development of the country,” the statement declared.

President Joe Biden will deliver comments “soon” about Afghanistan, a key aide said on Monday as the US leader faces sharp criticism for the Taliban sweep into Kabul and the government’s fall. “They (Americans) can expect to hear from the president soon. He’s right now actively engaged with his national security team. He is working the situation hard,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) said in a note, “The humanitarian community – both the UN and nongovernmental organisations – remains committed to helping people in the country.” OCHA said thousands of internally displaced people who have been identified in recent weeks have received assistance including food, cash, health care, water, and sanitation support.

“While the security environment is highly complex, humanitarian agencies are staying and delivering to people in need,” OCHA said.

Even before the upheaval, some 18.4 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, OCHA said. Its 1.3 billion USD humanitarian response plan for the country is only 38% funded.