Australian Defence Force pictures show how Kabul evacuation unfolded

New pictures have been released from inside the ADF’s operation to evacuate Australians citizens and Afghan visa holders.

Pictures have been released of the major rescue mission undertaken by the Australian Defence Force to get citizens and Afghan visa holders out of Kabul overnight.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday confirmed that an additional 60 Australians and Afghan visa holders were flown from Kabul after a plane with 100 passengers touched down in Perth in the early hours of the morning.

The rescue mission from Afghanistan included children. Picture: Defence

In total 162 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

The first Australian Defence Force flight landed just after 1.30am local time in Perth, after leaving an air base near Dubai late Thursday.

Royal Australian Air Force personnel unload cargo and prepare to receive evacuees onto a RAAF C-17A Globemaster, on the flight line of Hamid Karzai International Airport. Picture: Defence

Nearly 100 people were on board, including Australian customs and immigration personnel, consular and foreign services officials, and Afghan interpreters who worked alongside Australia during the war.

Photos, released by the ADF on Friday, show the evacuees disembarking an RAAF aircraft at Australia’s main operating base in the United Arab Emirates.

A Royal Air Force member assists evacuees from Afghanistan as they disembark a Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules. Picture: Defence

The include children clutching bags and a woman carrying a young boy.

Another image shows an ADF member handing out juice to an evacuee.

There is another photo of defence force members playing ball games with kids inside the evacuee handling centre.

Australian Defence Force members play with children inside the evacuee handling centre. Picture: Defence

An Australian Defence Force member hands out juice to Afghanistan evacuees as they wait to be processed. Picture: Defence

Mr Morrison said Australia would continue to organise further rescue flights, but their success would be contingent on the situation on the ground.

“We will continue to work with other nations, other partners in ensuring the airlift of Australians Afghan nationals who are seeking support, and indeed other foreign officials who are seeking to be evacuated out of Kabul,” he said.

The situation, he warned, remained chaotic.

Australians and Afghans on board two Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III aircraft have arrived in Perth on Friday morning. Picture: SGT Glen McCarthy/Australian Department of Defence

Foreign Minister Marise Payne told reporters a number of people seeking to reach Kabul’s airport to board Australia’s evacuation flights had been injured on their journey.

“There are people in their thousands, as you’ve seen, crowding around the entrances to the airport, and there have been unfortunately injuries as well and we have had to address some of those among our passenger cohorts, too,” she said.

The Australian Defence Force evacuation flight before it departed Kabul. Picture: Department of Defence

“It is dangerous – in the last day there have been incidents, there have been warnings of potential incidents, it is very complex and it is very uncertain. We have increased our numbers in our teams on the ground, in terms of both the ADF, DFAT and Home Affairs and we will continue to do that as required.”

The Minister said Australia was working alongside the United States, the UK and others on the staging area to facilitate movement into the airport.

On Thursday, another 40 ADF personnel as well as provisions were flown to Kabul to help with the rescue mission.

Children from Afghanistan disembark a Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules at Australia’s main operating base in the Middle East. Picture: Defence

But the prime minister stressed Australian forces would not leave Kabul airport to repatriate citizens and former Afghan staff.

“We are engaging in constant messaging, and contact, where we can, with those we‘re seeking to evacuate. Operations and Defence Force and others beyond the airport are not possible,” Mr Morrison said.

“To do so would put them at great risk with no commensurate benefit. These are options we obviously consider and we have considered those matters about how that can be done.”

Evacuees from Afghanistan enter the Hyatt Hotel on August 20, 2021 in Perth, Australia. The people on the flight from the United Arab Emirates are the first evacuees to arrive in Australia following the federal government's Afghanistan evacuation mission. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

The evacuees will now complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine at the Hyatt Hotel in Perth. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

In Perth, Police in full PPE were seen at the airport, assisting the evacuees to the Hyatt where they will undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Mr Morrison thanked his state counterparts for providing quarantine facilities for the evacuees.

“I‘ve been working with states and territories and we’ll discuss this afternoon at national cabinet, but I’m very pleased that all states and territories are seeking to support this effort,” he said.

Evacuees luggage is transferred at Perth Airport on Friday morning. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Earlier on Friday, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke told the Today Show the situation was “chaotic and difficult and dangerous”.

“We are working with our international partners to secure the airport and to provide security for people getting there,” he said.

“Australian soldiers are there in harms way and our border force officials and foreign affairs officials are on the ground working hard to process people who can get to the airport.

“Everyone is working hard to get people through those Taliban checkpoints to the airport and onto those planes.”

Two women and a child from Afghanistan arrive at the Hyatt Hotel on Friday morning. Picture Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Mr Hawke conceded “not everybody will be able to get out”, due to the “urgent and desperate situation”.

“We will do what we can, we have Australian citizens and permanent citizens and Afghan nationals with Australian visas on the ground,” he said.

“We will move as many as we can but in a war zone, in a situation where the country has collapsed and the government given up, it will be difficult and dangerous.

“We will do our absolute best.”