- Western countries warned of a terrorist threat at Kabul Airport.
- At the same time, thousands of Afghans raced to flee the country before August 31.
- The Taliban warned all foreign troops to withdraw before the deadline.
Western nations on Thursday warned their citizens of the terrorist threat to leave immediately around the Kabul airport, as thousands of people tried to reach fewer and fewer evacuation flights.
Since the hard-line Islamic Taliban movement took control of the country on August 15, nearly 90,000 Afghans and foreigners have fled Afghanistan through US-led airlifts.
Read | “Please let us in the car”: the heartbreak of the Kabul Airport fleet
Large crowds gathered inside and outside the airport, increasingly desperate, as some foreign countries halted flights before the deadline on Tuesday for US President Joe Biden to end the evacuation and withdraw the US military overseeing it.
One reason for the hard deadline cited by Biden and his aides this week was the “serious” terrorist threat from the regional chapters of the Islamic State Group.
The US government and its allies issued a further alert on Thursday, issuing a series of coordinated and specific warnings to its citizens to remind them to avoid the airport.
The US State Department said: “Those who are at the monastery gate, east gate, or north gate should now leave immediately,” citing unspecified “security threats”.
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Read | U.S. strengthens air transportation, fatal firefight at Kabul Airport
The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that there is a “continuous and very high threat of terrorist attacks”.
“Do not go to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you are near the airport, please move to a safe place and wait for further advice.”
London issued a similar warning, adding that “if you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should leave immediately.”
The Afghanistan-Pakistan branch of the Islamic State has seen some of the deadliest attacks in these countries in recent years.
It massacred civilians in mosques, shrines, public squares and even hospitals in both countries.
The organization specifically targets Muslims from sects it considers heretical, including Shia.
However, although both the Islamic State and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamic radicals, they are rivals and oppose each other.
From the beginning of their first term, the Taliban promised a more modest ruling brand, which ended when the United States invaded in 2001 because they provided shelter for al-Qaeda.
But many Afghans are worried that the Taliban’s cruel interpretation of Sharia law will repeat itself, as well as violent retaliation in cooperation with foreign troops, Western missions, or former US-backed governments.
Concern for women
Women are particularly concerned. They are largely prohibited from receiving education and employment, and can only leave their homes with male guardians during the organization’s reign from 1996 to 2001.
“They not only saved our lives, they also saved our dreams,” a member of a girl robot team said of the Mexican government after escaping from Afghanistan and landing in Mexico City.
“Under this (Taliban) regime, we women will face difficulties…that’s why we are happy to be here,” she told reporters.
The crowd at the airport caused the entire air operations to fall into chaos, and thousands of US troops tried to maintain a safe border for the evacuation flights.
Some Afghans gathered outside the airport hold foreign passports, visas or travel qualifications, but most do not.
At least eight people were killed in the chaos.
Despite the distressing scenes, the Taliban ruled out the possibility of extending the deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops next Tuesday, calling it a “red line.”
“They have airplanes, they have airports, and they should let their citizens and contractors leave here,” said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
Turkey, with more than 500 non-combat forces stationed in Afghanistan, said on Wednesday that it had begun withdrawing its troops.
The withdrawal marks the apparent abandonment of its plan to help ensure the security of the Kabul strategic airport that it has been negotiating since the United States left.
Belgium said on Wednesday that it will end its evacuation after its military aircraft have airlifted about 1,100 people (including Europeans and Afghans) in recent days.
France has indicated that it will end flights on Thursday.
The Pentagon, which manages all operations at Kabul Airport, said it must stop evacuation within a few days before August 31.
This is to allow the U.S. military time to evacuate its more than 6,000 soldiers, as well as hundreds of U.S. officials and Afghan security forces and equipment.
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