Horrific scenes as people fall from planes in Kabul in bid to escape Taliban
WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Horrific videos out of Afghanistan show desperate citizens falling to their deaths as they try to cling to US planes leaving Kabul after the Taliban seized control of the country.
In distressing videos posted on social media, hundreds of people crowd the tarmac while a US Air Force plane makes its way down the runway, with people jumping to try and hold on any way they can.
Another video shows what is believed to be a military plane taking off, tragically showing people falling from the side of the aircraft.
As the plane flies overhead, two bodies can be seen falling to the ground. The vision cuts off before impact.
Journalist Morteza Kazemian shared the videos on Twitter, writing: "Oppressed migrants and asylum seekers hung on military planes to escape the Taliban".
The US C-17 transport planes were due to bring thousands of fresh American troops to the airport, then fly out again with evacuating US embassy staffers.
ویدئوی تاسفبار و ناگوار از سقوط دستکم دو نفر از هواپیمای نظامی بر فراز فرودگاه کابل
مهاجران مظلوم و پناهجویانی که برای نجات از طالبان، به چرخهای هواپیمای نظامی آویخته بودند… pic.twitter.com/YguNpdTHZH— morteza kazemian (@morkazemian) August 16, 2021
The Pentagon was now sending an additional 1000 troops, bringing the total number to about 6000, a US defence official said.
The Pentagon intends to have enough aircraft to fly out as many as 5000 civilians a day, both Americans and the Afghan translators and others who worked with the US during the war.
The Taliban took control in just over a week
The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday.
President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate tried to leave Kabul airport.
Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office told Al Jazeera the form of the new regime in Afghanistan would be made clear soon, adding the Taliban did not want to live in isolation and calling for peaceful international relations.
A Taliban leader told Reuters the insurgents were regrouping from different provinces, and would wait until foreign forces had left before creating a new governance structure.
Australian politicians blasted over 'disgusting' Taliban tweets
On Monday, an Nationals senator and a Victorian Liberal MP were slammed as “offensive” and “disgusting” for making inappropriate comments on Twitter about the Taliban's takeover.
“Does anyone know when the Taliban will sign up to net zero?” Nationals Senator Matt Canavan tweeted, while Edward O‘Donohue also tweeted about the situation, comparing Melbourne's newest lockdown rules to the Taliban taking power in Kabul.
Mr O‘Donohue tweeted: “Melbourne follows Kabul in introducing a curfew", in relation to Victoria’s new 9pm to 5am curfew which was announced on Monday.
with Reuters.
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