Nightmare at Kabul airport as nations step up evacuations

According to official statements and media reports, at least 28,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul airport after Taliban took over the capital. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 23 August 2021
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Nightmare at Kabul airport as nations step up evacuations

  • “It is like a small hell. I would describe it like committing suicide,” mother of two tells Arab News

KABUL: It has been two days since Zarmina, her husband, and their two children tried to get through tight security at Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban’s dramatic takeover of the capital and the group’s return to power.

Zarmina’s voice choked as she recalled events from the past few days, when “bullets rained on the tarmac,” as the US struggles to control the thousands thronging to Hamid Karzai International Airport in the hope of being evacuated.

As security officials aimed at the crowds to contain the chaos, the couple decided to head home to ensure the safety of their eight-month-old son and five-year-old daughter.

“Bullets were landing left and right,” Zarmina told Arab News on Sunday from outside the airport. “They even used tear gas to scatter the crowd, but no use. The baby was screaming, some people got injured before our eyes, we thought to leave before being killed or injured. I am too exhausted to speak because of what we went through. It is not worth going this way unless they sort out the growing chaos. You might get killed here at the airport, which is the most violent place in Afghanistan now, than by other possible dangers.”

As they waited for a taxi to take them home, news broke of seven people being killed in a stampede and from firing inside the airport, taking the death toll to 22 since Aug. 15, according to estimates provided to Arab News by an aviation source.

According to official statements and media reports, at least 28,000 people have been evacuated so far.

Shabia Mantoo, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, welcomed the evacuation of Afghan nationals through separate bilateral programs but stressed an “urgent and wider international humanitarian response.”

“The vast majority of Afghans are not able to leave the country through regular channels,” she told a news briefing. “As of today, those who may be in danger have no clear way out.”

For security reasons, Zarmina refused to say which country her family was planning to move to.

However, as an employee of a Western organization, she is eligible to be evacuated. There is growing uncertainty and fear of the Taliban targeting Afghans who worked for US-led coalition nations, despite the group’s repeated assurances “not to seek revenge” and to provide “amnesty.”

On Sunday, the US and its allies sent fresh troops to Kabul airport to evacuate citizens, diplomats and thousands of Afghans who had worked for them since late 2001, when the Taliban was toppled in a US-led invasion.

Zarmina said families were suffering from the heat and lack of water and food inside the airport.

“It is like a small hell. I would describe it like committing suicide,” she said, adding that the rush to leave could be due to reports that the evacuation efforts would end on Aug. 31.

US officials have hinted they might extend the deadline, even as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Saturday that it was “mathematically impossible” to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by the end of this month.

Outside the airport, Taliban fighters failed to break up the crowds, as they and foreign troops occasionally fired into the air to disperse anyone without valid documents.

The group blames the US for the “disaster,” arguing it should have “never promised to evacuate” tens of thousands of Afghans in the first place “because they faced no threat from the new rulers.”

“The US is responsible for what is going on at the airport,” Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told Arab News. “When it cannot control the situation and the evacuation, why did it create hope for so many people? We have said these people will face no harm as we have announced an amnesty.” 

On Saturday, the US warned its citizens to avoid the airport due to a “potential risk” from militant groups linked to Daesh.

With the security situation at the airport taking a turn for the worse with each passing day, another calamity appears to be brewing in the background.

The US has frozen Afghanistan’s $7 billion in reserves “to bar the Taliban from accessing the cash,” while the International Monetary Fund has blocked access to an emergency reserve worth $460 million.

Banks, too, have been closed since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, leading to a spike in the price of essential commodities and food items.


Pakistan court grants bail to journalist detained after probing protest, lawyer says

Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan court grants bail to journalist detained after probing protest, lawyer says

  • Matiullah Jan was picked up off the street on Wednesday night while investigating claims of casualties in a protest march
  • The Committee to Protect Journalists had expressed ‘grave alarm’ over Jan’s ‘abduction,’ demanding his immediate release
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court approved bail for a journalist arrested this week after investigating claims of casualties in a protest march, his lawyer said on Saturday.
Matiullah Jan, a critic of military influence in Pakistani politics, was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in the capital Islamabad in a terrorism and narcotics case, his lawyer, Imaan Mazari, said in a text message.
“He should be home by this evening,” Mazari said.
Jan was picked up off the street on Wednesday night while investigating claims of casualties in a protest march demanding the release of jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to a colleague and his lawyer.
The Committee to Protect Journalists had expressed “grave alarm” over Jan’s “abduction,” demanding his immediate release.
Hours before being picked up, Jan had appeared on television casting doubt over the government’s denial that live ammunition had been used when security forces dispersed the protest and that any protesters had been killed.
The government has repeatedly denied using deadly force against protesters. Police and the information ministry have not responded to request for comment on Jan’s detention.
Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party this week stormed Islamabad. The government said they had killed four security officers.
The PTI said hundreds of protesters had been shot, and between eight and 40 killed.

Taiwan’s Lai departs for US stopover during Pacific trip

Updated 5 min 13 sec ago
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Taiwan’s Lai departs for US stopover during Pacific trip

  • China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory
  • Beijing opposes any international recognition of the island

TAIPEI: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te departed Saturday for a stopover on US soil as part of a week-long tour of the Pacific, which has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.
China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign state.
Lai, on his first trip abroad since taking office in May, will stop over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam as he visits Taiwan’s allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.
They are the only Pacific island nations among the 12 remaining allies that recognize Taiwan, after China poached others with promises of aid and investment.
In a speech shortly before take-off, Lai said the tour “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and he thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one.”
Lai said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”
The trip has elicited a furious response from China, which has vowed to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Taiwan independence.
China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist fighters and fled to the island.
Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.
Beijing deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis to press its claims, with the number of sorties increasing in recent years.
Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.
Lai’s tour of the Pacific was an opportunity for him “to show those countries and the world that Taiwan matters,” said Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan-China affairs expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
“I think that the People’s Republic of China always wants to leave the impression that Taiwan is isolated and it is dependent on the PRC,” Glaser told AFP, using China’s official name.
“When Taiwan’s president travels outside Taiwan, it’s a reminder that there are countries in the world that value their diplomatic relationships with Taiwan,” she said.
“And of course, when he transits the United States, it’s a reminder, I think, to the public of Taiwan, that the United States and Taiwan have a close partnership.”
The US is Taiwan’s most important backer and biggest supplier of arms, but Washington does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Lai’s trip follows the US approving the proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter jets and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.
Earlier this month, Taiwan’s foreign minister Lin Chia-lung met with European Parliament members in Brussels.
It was part of a trend of more senior Taiwanese officials traveling abroad and countries publicly receiving them despite the risk of suffering retaliation from China, Glaser told AFP.
“I think there’s safety in numbers — the more countries that do something, the more that other countries are willing to do it,” Glaser said.
“There’s also greater awareness of how aggressive and assertive China has been, and so countries are willing, to some extent, to stand up to China because they don’t like China’s behavior,” she said.
“And there is recognition of Taiwan’s role in the world, especially in semiconductor chips.”


More than 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesia: UN

Updated 23 min 2 sec ago
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More than 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesia: UN

  • Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar

Banda Aceh: More than 100 Rohingya refugees including women and children have been rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, the United Nations refugee agency said Saturday.
The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
“We received a report from the East Aceh government that there are 116 refugees in total,” UNHCR’s Faisal Rahman told AFP on Saturday.
“The refugees are still on the beach right now, it has not been decided where they would be taken.”
He said the flimsy wooden boat carrying the Rohingyas was found half-submerged not far from the beach off the coast of northeastern Sumatra island.
A local fisherman, Saifudin Taher said the boat was first spotted entering East Aceh waters on Saturday morning, and a few hours later it nearly sank.
“All passengers survived, but one of them was ill and ...immediately received treatment,” Saifudin told AFP, adding the boat was only 100 meters away from the beach, and the refugees could walk easily to safety.
Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia tend to follow a cyclical pattern, slowing during the stormy months and picking back up when sea conditions calm down.
Last month, 152 Rohingya refugees were finally brought ashore after being anchored for days off the coast of South Aceh district for days while officials decided whether to let them land.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle Rohingya who arrives on its shores.
Many Acehnese, who have memories of decades of bloody conflict themselves, are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Muslims.
But others say their patience has been tested, claiming the Rohingya consume scarce resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals.
In December 2023, hundreds of students forced the relocation of more than 100 Rohingya refugees, storming a community hall in Aceh where they were sheltering and vandalising their belongings.


Georgia police say 107 people arrested at pro-EU protest

Updated 6 min 25 sec ago
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Georgia police say 107 people arrested at pro-EU protest

  • The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a Oct. 26 parliamentary election

TBILISI: Georgia on Saturday said 107 people were arrested during a second day of protests sparked by the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis.
The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a October 26 parliamentary election that the pro-EU opposition said was fraudulent.
The interior ministry said 107 people were detained for “disobedience to lawful police orders and petty hooliganism.”
“Throughout the night... protesters threw various objects, including stones, pyrotechnics, glass bottles, and metal items, at law enforcement officers,” it said, adding that “10 employees of the ministry of internal affairs were injured.”
It had said that 32 police officers were wounded and 43 protesters detained on Thursday.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement Thursday that Georgia will not seek to open accession talks with the European Union until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition and two days of protests.
He later accused the opposition and the EU ambassador to Georgia of distorting his words, and insisted membership in the bloc “by 2030” remains his “top priority.”
On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot police fire water cannon and tear gas at pro-EU protesters gathered outside the parliament in Tbilisi who tossed eggs and fireworks.
Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area outside parliament, beating demonstrators, some of whom threw objects.
Independent TV station Pirveli said one of its journalists covering the protest was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Protests were also held in other cities across Georgia on Friday, independent TV station Mtavari reported.
At least eight demonstrators were arrested in Georgia’s second-largest city, Batumi, local media said.
Opposition lawmakers have questioned the results of the election.
Brussels has demanded an investigation into what it said were “serious (electoral) irregularities.”
Pro-Western opposition parties are boycotting the new parliament, while President Salome Zurabishvili has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court.
In recent years, critics accuse Georgian Dream – in power for more than a decade – of having moved the country away from Europe and closer to Russia.


Floods displace 122,000 people in Malaysia

Updated 30 November 2024
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Floods displace 122,000 people in Malaysia

  • The number surpassed the 118,000 displaced during one of the country’s worst floodings in 2014

Kuala Lumpur: More than 122,000 people have been forced out of their homes as massive floods caused by relentless rains swept through Malaysia’s northern states, disaster officials said Saturday.
The number surpassed the 118,000 displaced during one of the country’s worst floodings in 2014, and disaster officials feared it could rise further as there was no let-up in torrential downpours.
The death toll remained at four recorded across Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak.
Kelantan state bore the brunt of the flooding, accounting for 63 percent of the 122,631 people displaced, according to data from the National Disaster Management Agency.
There were nearly 35,000 people evacuated in Terengganu, with the rest of the displacements reported from seven other states.
Heavy rains, which began early this week, continued to hammer Pasir Puteh town in Kelantan, where people could be seen walking through streets inundated with hip-deep waters.
“My area has been flooded since Wednesday. The water has already reached my house corridor and is just two inches away from coming inside,” Pasir Puteh resident and school janitor Zamrah Majid, 59, told AFP.
“Luckily, I moved my two cars to a higher ground before the water level rose.”
She said she allowed her grandchildren to play in the water in front of his house because it was still shallow.
“But if the water gets higher, it would be dangerous, I’m afraid they might get swept away,” she added.
“I haven’t received any assistance yet, whether it’s welfare or other kinds of help.”
Muhammad Zulkarnain, 27, who is living with his parents in Pasir Puteh, said they were isolated.
“There’s no way in or out of for any vehicles to enter my neighborhood,” he told AFP.
“Of course I’m scared... Luckily we have received some assistance from NGOs, they gave us food supplies like biscuits, instant noodles, and eggs.”
Floods are an annual phenomenon in the Southeast Asian nation of 34 million people due to the northeast monsoon that brings heavy rain from November to March.
Thousands of emergency services personnel have been deployed in flood-prone states along with rescue boats, four-wheel-drive vehicles and helicopters, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who chairs the National Disaster Management Committee.