(HorizonPost.com) – In the weeks since the US pulled out of the Kandahar airbase, Taliban forces have made quick work of the Afghan government military and seized control of the capital city of Kabul on Sunday, August 15. The scenes look eerily similar to the fall of Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975.
The US Department of State issued a joint statement in conjunction with more than 60 other countries, calling on all to guarantee “the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.”
PHOTO 1: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the #Taliban enter #Kabul from all sides. #Afghanistan (2021)
PHOTO 2: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the PAVN & Viet Cong capture of Saigon, Vietnam (1975) pic.twitter.com/YamWmzjOay
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) August 15, 2021
It’s important to keep exits like airports and roads open and safe for people who want to leave. Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have echoed those sentiments, while the Persian Gulf monarchy made a plea to the Taliban to protect life and property “based on the noble principles of Islam…”
People desperate to leave Afghanistan flooded Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday. There were unconfirmed reports and footage of people falling to their deaths after trying to hang on to the aircraft’s fuselage departing from the airport. One body was found in the landing gear of a C-17 cargo jet. Troops fired over the crowd’s heads to quell unrest and maintain order, and the airport was closed for a time on Monday.
On Tuesday, airport operations resumed under the watchful eyes of US troops flown in Monday night with the evacuations of diplomats, foreign nationals and thousands of Afghan citizens. Taliban leadership agreed not to attack withdrawing forces under the pact negotiated in 2020 with the US, the standing Afghan government at the time.
We will continue to monitor this developing story and bring you updates.
Copyright 2021, HorizonPost.com
