Troops in Desperate Situation, Helping People in Kabul Airport as Evacuees Struggle to Escape Chaos in Afghanistan
(Photo : OMAR HAIDIRI/Courtesy of Omar Haidiri/AFP via Getty Images)

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TOPSHOT - This image made available to AFP on August 20, 2021 by Omar Haidiri, shows a US Marine grabbing an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021. - A Pentagon official confirmed Friday that US evacuation operations from Kabul's airport have been stalling because the receiving base in Qatar is overflowing and could not receive evacuees. "There has been a considerable amount of time today where there haven't been departures," Brigadier General Dan DeVoe of the US Air Mobility Command told reporters. (Photo by Omar HAIDIRI / Courtesy of Omar Haidiri / AFP)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have enough planes to fly foreign nationals and Afghan colleagues out of Kabul, but land access to the airport remains a "major difficulty," the alliance's top official warned.

Following a video meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Alliance Secretary-General Jen Stoltenberg also stated that several members were seeking more time to complete their evacuations. The US, which maintains overall command of the airport, had earlier set an August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of its personnel from Afghanistan.

NATO countries struggle to rescue citizens, Afghan refugees

However, given the evacuations, several other NATO countries have raised the potential of that being pushed back. Their citizens, as well as vulnerable Afghans who worked for international missions, are still stranded in the country, which has been taken over by the Taliban.

NATO has 500 civilians working at the airport, including approximately 200 Afghans, to keep it open while national military rescue operations continue. Many supporters have emphasized the need to work harder on how to get more people out of the airport, as per New Age.

 Following the videoconference, NATO's 30 members released a statement urging those in positions of responsibility in Afghanistan to respect and enable their safe and orderly withdrawal. However, it is unclear how long the allied military force will remain at the airport.

The majority of the personnel protecting the perimeter of what has become Afghanistan's last link to the outside world and the last hope for refugees coming from the United States. Military contingents from the United Kingdom and Turkey are also stationed at the airport, and Germany, France, and other allies have been using it to secure evacuees.

Read Also: China Mocks US Troops Afghanistan Withdrawal, Welcomes "Friendly Relations" With Taliban

People are desperate to leave the Taliban-control country

Per Daily Mail, a baby was reunited with her father after being seen in a viral video being delivered to a US Marine over a barbed-wire-topped wall at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. The wailing infant, thought to be a girl, is given over to a Marine over a reinforced wall at Hamad Karzai International Airport, who then passes the baby to a fellow soldier, according to the footage filmed by Omar Haidari, a human rights activist.


A member of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is seen receiving a child in a viral video showing the baby being handed through the masses, according to Marine Corps officials. It's the latest striking image to emerge as individuals desperate to leave the Taliban seek the support of troops and US allies.

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At a press briefing on Friday afternoon, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated the baby was merely transferred to the Marines for medical treatment and wasn't sent over to board an aircraft as originally thought. The Marines returned the infant to the father after the baby underwent medical treatment at a Norwegian field hospital near the airport.

Meanwhile, images captured by Sky News show British forces approaching the capital city's airport, which is currently Afghanistan's sole exit. The United Kingdom has been collaborating with the Taliban to remove British and Afghan civilians from Kabul.

Since the Taliban took power, more than 18,000 individuals have fled the nation, but there are still massive populations attempting to flee. Families are so desperate that they are tossing newborns over razor wire at the compound and requesting that British soldiers take them. Britain is unable to evacuate children on its own.

On Sunday, the Taliban rushed into the capital city, causing the government to collapse, signaling the end of a two-decade US-led war. By the end of this year, the government aims to welcome 5,000 Afghan refugees to the UK, with another 15,000 arriving in the coming years.

Related Article: UK to Accept 20,000 Afghan Refugees Under Resettlement Scheme Prioritizing Women, Children Who Face Persecution


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