Afghanistan: Kabul ‘chaotic’ as second Australian rescue mission succeeds
Scott Morrison said a second rescue mission has succeeded — but thousands of Afghans including kids have faced gunfire. WARNING: Graphic
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed a second rescue mission has been performed with another 60 evacuees now safely outside of embattled Afghanistan, bringing the total number to 162 people.
Of that figure, 94 arrived in Perth Thursday night and he said many more flights were planned in the days ahead.
He said many challenges remained including security as well as finding air movement slots and the weather.
Mr Morrison said however options for the ADF to collect others outside of the airport remained “not possible”.
“The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic. We are engaged in constant messaging and contacts wherever we possibly can with those we are seeking to evacuate,” Mr Morrison said.
The biggest challenge is for people to be able to get to the airport.”
Mr Morrison said he had been speaking to leaders in the Middle East as well as his counterpart UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson about his humanitarian program, evacuations and issues including people smuggling fears.
He said all Five Eyes partners were doing the right thing to resettle Afghans not just in the immediate airlift rescues but further into the future.
Mr Morrison declined to be drawn on whether US President Joe Biden rushed the withdrawal, saying the US remained “our great ally and friend” and he was focusing on evacuations and not such commentary.
Asked whether the ADF in concert with other coalition forces could have military escorts to go and get Afghans into the airport for evacuations, Mr Morrison was unequivocal: “no that is not viable”.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed there were citizens and Afghan visa holders on that latest rescue flight. Some were injured getting into the airport precinct.
She said cooperation between Allies at the airport to rescue the thousands has been excellent and would continue.
She said she too spoke with her UK counterpart Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on arrangements and best access points to get Afghan and citizens into the airport.
It comes as gunfire continues at Kabul airport and horrific footage has emerged of a crowd of civilians ducking for cover as security forces fired rounds along the perimeter.
This footage, by Sayed Harris Khelwati, (above) shows young children crying as armed forces open fire and push back those attempting to flee the country following a Taliban takeover.
Harris Khelwati told Storyful the first part of the footage shows scenes at the airport’s North Gate, where he said Afghan Forces opened fire to control crowds. He said the second part was filmed at an entrance on Russian Road, where both US and Afghan forces were guarding the gate, he said. He was eventually flown to an air base in Qatar by Thursday.
AUSSIES AND AFGHANS LAND IN AUSTRALIA
A Royal Australian Air Force plane landed in Western Australia Friday morning and marks the first flight of more than 600 Australians and refugees to make the journey.
Mr Morrison has vowed to take in 3000 Afghan nationals but says that number may increase.
Another Australian military plane has also touched down in the United Arab Emirates carrying Afghan evacuees and some British citizens.
Australia is frantically trying to secure landing spots at Kabul airport to rescue more citizens and Afghan visa holders after the takeover by the Taliban.
Earlier, Mr Morrison confirmed the UK had given a boost to Australia’s evacuations, bringing Australians and Afghans with protection visas out of Kabul on one of their flights on Wednesday night.
Some of those evacuated were on the flight from the UAE to Perth on last night, the first group to arrive back in Australia from Kabul.
Among them will be 27-year-old Afghan woman Nila Monawari, who worked as an interpreter for the Australian mentoring taskforce in Afghanistan, according to The Australian.
She made it to the airport with the help of a WhatsApp chat group of 11 former interpreters who until recently worked for the Australian Defence Force in Kabul.
“The driver was not helping to take us right to the gate but after we offered him some more money he agreed to take us the right direction,” she told the outlet from the runway in Dubai before departing for Australia.
She said her former manager – a British man named Simon – was on the ground at the airport to help her family get inside the security cordon.
“Once we got near the north gate, there were Afghan military guys who were firing repeatedly,” she said.
“But I just stood in the first line and asked my family to stay behind. They were scared. (The Taliban was) not allowing us to go through.
“But my manager asked me to give him a signal where exactly my location was. Once he saw me, he ran towards me like a hero and collected my family and I. There were many American and Australian military people. They helped us go inside after checking our passports and we got there safely. But still we were near the firing area.
“My little brother was scared even inside (the airport).”
The prime minister said an additional 40 ADF personnel and three aircraft were involved in the operation and supporting the airlift of other allies and partners.
“A cruiser is in place for those three additional aircraft and their access to the Kabul air strip will be very dependent on slot management as well as the weather,” he said on Thursday.
It came as a message posted on Smartraveller at 3pm on Thursday urged Australians to make their way to Kabul international airport and wait for a planned flight.
“Australian visa-holders should now travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, if you’re able to do so safely, to wait for a planned evacuation flight,” the message reads.
It warns travellers should take “all precautions” as “large potentially volatile crowds may gather”.
Australian citizens, permanent residents & Australian visa-holders should now travel to #Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, if you are able to do so safely, to wait for a planned evacuation flight. Read more: https://t.co/ZyYShzbZ6upic.twitter.com/ElVPKgKhzq
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) August 19, 2021
The rescue mission in Kabul by Australia and coalition partners is set to be extended beyond the August 31 deadline as citizens and others struggle to get into the Kabul airport compound.
The notion of creating “passageways” to the precinct to allow those fleeing to take flights has been raised but has yet to be approved by the Taliban.
DFAT has received reports from citizens and Australia-aligned Afghans that their attempts to get to rescue aircraft was being hampered by a throng of thousands outside the gates as well as sporadic gunfire.
Some of those trying to get to the airport include Afghans who have approved visas having previously worked for the Australian government and securing their paperwork earlier.
Defence said two RAAF C-17A Globemaster aircraft had now arrived in the United Arab Emirates and were prepped for flights to join the Hercules that made a mission into Kabul on Wednesday. But just when another flight would be made remained unclear as Kabul chaos continued.
So far just one Australian flight with 26 passengers has made it out while the US is moving 2000 people every 24 hours. Further flights could be hampered with severe weather expected over coming days.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the Taliban was co-operating in allowing foreigners out but there was difficulty not only with foreigners but Afghans seeking sanctuary.
Despite US flights leaving every hour and a pledge to assist coalition partners in the evacuation, the demand may outstrip capacity within the August 31 deadline, particularly with so many still outside the fortified Kabul airport.
US Forces, which has taken oversight of the whole multinational operation and control Kabul airspace movements and the 4500 troops on guard at perimeter fence, say even at current rates they won’t make it.
“If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” Biden said, adding there were some difficulties in getting US-aligned Afghans out.
He said passageways could be created to the airport; a notion Afghans aligned to Australia’s rescue have formally asked DFAT and Defence to consider.
They have told the Australian agencies they are being stopped at checkpoints and informed they have to have a foreign official with them to get into the airport.
Mr Biden again defended his handling of the Kabul situation and the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as a whole.
“The idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he said.
Meanwhile at least one person was shot dead and more than a dozen injured by the Taliban in the city of Jalalabad as the protesters tried to raise the Afghan national flag.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said discussions were continuing on the future of the national flag, believed to be set to be replaced with a Taliban one.
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Originally published as Afghanistan: Kabul ‘chaotic’ as second Australian rescue mission succeeds
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