NATO to rush Afghanistan evacuation as US hits wall with Taliban, logistics

Criticism of NATO and the West in their handling of Afghanistan crisis mounts as countries like the US struggle to pick up the pace of evacuations, constrained by obstacles such as Taliban insurgents unable to read paperwork.

A baby is handed over to the US army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul on August 19, 2021, in this still image taken from video obtained from social media. Photo: Omar Haidari via Reuters.
Reuters

A baby is handed over to the US army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul on August 19, 2021, in this still image taken from video obtained from social media. Photo: Omar Haidari via Reuters.

More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital, a NATO official said, pledging to redouble evacuation efforts as criticism of the West's handling of the crisis mounted.

Thousands of people, desperate to flee the country, continued to throng the airport, the official who declined to be identified told Reuters.

But countries like the US are struggling to pick up the pace of evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. 

The speed with which the Taliban conquered Afghanistan as US and other foreign troops withdrew surprised even their own leaders and has left power vacuums in many places. 

With an August 31 deadline looming for the US, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country.

The Taliban urged unity ahead of Friday prayers, the first since they seized power, calling on imams to persuade people not to leave Afghanistan amid chaotic scenes at the airport, protests and reports of violence.

READ MORE: US airlift operation continues to face hurdles at Kabul airport

Taliban unable to read evacuation documents

The Taliban and its checkpoints ringed the airport secured by the US – major barriers for Afghans who fear that their past work with Westerners makes them prime targets for retribution. 

Hundreds of Afghans who lacked any papers or clearance for evacuation also gather daily outside the airport, adding to the chaos that has prevented even some Afghans who do have papers and promises of flights from getting through.

It didn’t help that many of the Taliban fighters could not read the documents.

In a hopeful sign, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in Washington that 6,000 people were cleared for evacuation on Thursday and were expected to board military flights in coming hours. That would mark a major increase from recent days.

About 2,000 passengers were flown out on each of the past two days, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said.

Kirby said the military has aircraft available to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day but until Thursday far fewer designated evacuees had been able to reach, and then enter, the airport.

Kirby told reporters the limiting factor has been available evacuees, not aircraft. 

He said efforts were underway to speed processing, including adding State Department consular officers to verify paperwork of Americans and Afghans who managed to get to the airport. Additional entry gates had been opened, he said.

And yet, at the current rate it would be difficult for the US to evacuate all of the Americans and Afghans who are qualified for and seeking evacuation by August 31. 

President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would ensure no American was left behind, even if that meant staying beyond August, an arbitrary deadline that he set weeks before the Taliban climaxed a stunning military victory by taking Kabul last weekend. 

It was not clear if Biden might consider extending the deadline for evacuees who aren't American citizens.

At the airport, military evacuation flights continued, but access remained difficult for many. 

On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airport’s blast walls.

There is no accurate figure of the number of people – Americans, Afghans or others – who need evacuation as the process is almost entirely self-selecting. 

For example, the State Department says that when it ordered its nonessential embassy staff to leave Kabul in April after Biden’s withdrawal announcement, fewer than 4,000 Americans had registered for security updates.

The actual number, including dual US-Afghan citizens along with family members, is likely much higher, with estimates ranging from 11,000 to 15,000.

Tens of thousands of Afghans may also be in need of escape.

At the Pentagon, Kirby said, given the Taliban's takeover of the country, staying beyond that date would require at least the Taliban's acquiescence. 

He said he knew of no such talks yet between US and Taliban commanders, who have been in regular touch for days to limit conflict at the airport as part of what the White House has termed a “safe passage” agreement worked out on Sunday.

“If we don’t sort this out, we’ll literally be condemning people to death,” said Marina Kielpinski LeGree, the American head of a nonprofit, Ascend. 

The organisation's young Afghan female colleagues were in the mass of people waiting for flights at the airport in the wake of days of mayhem, tear gas and gunshots.

At least 12 people killed since Sunday

A witness told Reuters several people were killed in the eastern city of Asadabad on Thursday when Taliban militants fired on a crowd demonstrating their allegiance to the vanquished Afghan republic, as the Taliban set about establishing an emirate, governed by strict Islamic laws.

There were similar shows of defiance in two other cities – Jalalabad and Khost – in the east, as Afghans used celebrations of the nation's 1919 independence from British control to vent their anger with the Taliban takeover.

Another witness reported gunshots near a rally in Kabul, but they appeared to be Taliban firing into the air.

A Taliban spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Kabul has been largely calm, except in and around the airport where 12 people have been killed since Sunday, NATO and Taliban officials said.

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Blames surging against powers

Criticism of NATO and other Western powers has mounted as images of the chaos and desperation are shared around the world.

In one scene captured on social media, a small girl was hoisted over the airport's perimeter wall and handed to a US soldier.

US President Joe Biden is set to speak about the evacuation efforts at 1700 GMT on Friday, having faced a torrent of criticism for his handling of the troop withdrawal, negotiated by the previous US administration.

British media reported the country's spy chiefs may face a grilling over intelligence failings. Several British civil servants remained on holiday as the Afghan debacle erupted, and Foreign Minister Dominic Raab has been heavily criticised for his initial response to the unfolding crisis.

READ MORE: Are American voters responsible for the US defeat in Afghanistan?

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