Special Afghanistan Edition: One Year On
It’s One Year Today Since Kabul Airport Was The Centre Of Chaos And Desperation.
This is an Aviation Briefing for Mon 15 Aug 2022 - Special Afghanistan Edition: One Year On. In this briefing, I’ll look at how Afghanistan’s aviation gateway became the centre of the fall of Kabul, the country's reliance on foreign airlines for essential cargo, and how the developments of last year have ultimately shaped air travel today, for Afghanistan and globally.
It’s one year today since Kabul airport in Afghanistan was the centre of chaos and desperation as the Taliban recaptured the capital and assumed full control of the nation following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after a military presence of almost two decades.
Thousands of people scrambled to Kabul airport as countries rushed to evacuate their citizens and Afghan colleagues from the country.
At least seven people were killed during the chaos, including several people who plunged to their deaths after clinging on to a U.S. military C-17 Globemaster III as it commenced its take-off roll. Among the casualties was a young footballer Zaki Anwari, 19, who had played for Afghanistan's national team.
President Biden acknowledged after the chaotic US withdrawal that his administration had not anticipated that Kabul would fall so quickly but insisted the withdrawal and extraction operation — one of the largest airlifts in history — was an “extraordinary success.”
Taliban officials declared victory at the Kabul airport fifteen days later, on 31 Aug 2021.
The Taliban takeover was another example of just how exposed international air travel is to geopolitical conflict, tensions, and a shift in domestic norms.