German Military Aircraft Has Landed in Kabul to Evacuate Nationals, Afghan Partners - Reports
20:34 GMT 16.08.2021 (Updated: 16:35 GMT 08.12.2022)
© AP Photo / Rahmat Gul
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The situation in Afghanistan has sharply deteriorated in recent weeks with the Taliban* advance. The Taliban is reportedly in control of all border crossings and also the capital city Kabul. Afraid of persecution from the movement, thousands of Afghans have rushed to Kabul airport, the only remaining way to leave the country, blocking the airstrip.
The first plane of the German Bundeswehr has landed at Kabul airport after circling over the city for five hours, Bild reported on Monday, noting that the plane was forced to circle due to the huge number of people on the runway.
According to the report, the Bundeswehr has a total of four aircraft for the mission, and two Airbus A-400M planes have arrived in Kabul.
The military press service earlier stated that the first of the two planes that flew on the mission was forced to fly to a "safe third country" for refueling, which is reportedly Uzbekistan, while the second plane remained in the air over the city plunged into chaos.
The evacuation mission reportedly involves the deployment of paratroopers to protect German citizens and their safe evacuation from the country, along with local residents working for the German embassy or who were helping German troops in the country during their stay.
A man pulls a girl to get inside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021
© REUTERS / STRINGER
And a second German military team is reportedly setting up a camp in Uzbekistan's capital city of Tashkent to accommodate rescued Afghans.
According to the report, the Bundeswehr plans to remove at least 57 embassy employees and 88 other nationals from the country, as well as some of the large number of local residents who worked for the German government.
This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows crowds of people on the tarmac, during the chaotic scene underway at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan as thousands of people converged on the tarmac and airport runways as countries attempt to evacuate personnel from the city on August 16, 2021.
© AFP 2023 / -
Earlier in the day, it was reported that two German military planes had approached Kabul airport in an attempt to carry out evacuations but were unable to land due to crowds on the tarmac. German officials reportedly added that their rescue efforts are reliant on the US to secure the landing strips in light of a possible attack on the airport by the Taliban.
*Taliban, a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries
