Massive crowds outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport eager to get through the gates continued to present a daunting task for the US troops, as every potential evacuee is screened for eligibility.
Tasked with both access control and airport security, the tired US soldiers appeared to find relief and joy from playing with or babysitting the Afghan children in the airport compound.
Currently, 5800 US troops are present in Afghanistan, mostly at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The US is evacuating the ‘Special Immigrant Visa Applicants’ and ‘Afghans at risk.’
The US, which had set August 31st as the deadline for the withdrawal of all its troops, may extend the deadline if necessary, said President Joe Biden, amidst reports that thousands of American Citizens in Afghanistan are finding it hard to make it to the airport.
The US is airlifting the evacuees to either Ramstein Air Base or Fort Bliss in Texas, where they will undergo further screening before being issued with a relevant visa.
About 17000 people are evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14th, including nearly 2500 US citizens. In the last 24 hours, 3800 people have been airlifted, as per the latest briefing from the Pentagon.
Situation ‘dynamic’ and ‘perilous’
Although Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is under US control, Afghanistan is not.
The ruling Taliban has kept a safe distance from the US troops so far and even hosted a press conference assuring all the Afghans of safety.
The press conference did little to instill confidence in those who worked with the US forces for the last 20 years or had another reason to fear reprisals from the Taliban.
The Pentagon acknowledged the situation in the country as ‘dynamic’ and ‘perilous,’ but assured that the Airport remains secure.
Meanwhile, the UK has roughly 600 troops at the airport tasked with the evacuation of those Afghans who worked alongside UK forces during the last two decades.