Afghans evacuated to Germany describe terrifying scenes at Kabul airport

FRANKFURT, Aug. 18 (Reuters) – Afghans who arrived in Germany on Wednesday described chaotic and terrifying scenes at Kabul airport before their evacuation and said they feared for the lives of their loved ones.

Speaking shortly after landing in Frankfurt on a flight from Tashkent, men, women and children said they were among the lucky few evacuated by NATO troops after the country fell at the hands of the Taliban at an astonishing speed.

“We had to force the passage and my grandson fell and we were scared but we succeeded,” said one woman, speaking in German.

“Then an American guy showed good will and realized that we were totally exhausted. He took the passports and said I had to check if it was genuine. It was scary.”

She, her two sons and her husband, were on the first of several flights organized by Germany to rescue Afghans threatened by Taliban insurgents because they had worked for the NATO armies or charities funded by the ‘West. Read more

A veiled woman wiped away her tears, another spoke on her cell phone, and men sobbed as they hugged family members and German friends who had come to greet them.

None of the few who spoke to reporters mentioned their names or what they had done in Afghanistan, where many fear reprisals against family members they may never see again.

“Everyone wants to go out,” the woman’s husband said, also speaking in German. “Every day is worse than the day before. We ran away but we couldn’t save our families.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel told a meeting of her Christian Democrats on Monday that Germany may need to grant asylum to some 10,000 Afghans who have worked with the German military and development agencies as well as human rights activists and lawyers. Read more

Opposition parties in Germany have criticized the government for failing to predict the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and for what they say was a failed military adventure that cost billions of euros and the lives of 59 soldiers Germans.

DEBATE ON MIGRATION

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has urged the government to put in place a moratorium on asylum claims and deal with Afghan civilians in neighboring countries like Pakistan.

As the Taliban began their advance towards Kabul, Germany had to suspend a policy of repatriating Afghans whose asylum claims were rejected, sparking a debate on migration ahead of national elections on September 26.

A poll by Civey for the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper showed that nearly two-thirds of Germans fear events in Afghanistan could lead large numbers to flee to Germany in a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis.

The Afghans that Germany is airlifting to safety will join some 170,000 compatriots who have applied for asylum since 2015.

Zia Moballegh fled Afghanistan four years ago and settled with her family in Berlin.

“I think it’s just a form of, I don’t know, they’re trying to fool us, like they’re trying to conform to modernity, but I don’t trust them,” her daughter Aida said.

At Frankfurt airport, a young Afghan man in a red and white jacket spoke of his joy at being in Germany.

“The anxiety was huge because my whole family is still there,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to leave them behind and come here. Part of me is still there. I’m very emotional but otherwise I’m fine, thank goodness.”

A little girl standing with her parents said in German: “When the soldiers opened fire, it was not good because everyone got scared and started screaming.

In his Berlin apartment, Moballegh said the Taliban takeover after 20 years of attempted reform and reconstruction resets Afghanistan to zero.

“So you ask me, how do I feel? Really very sad, very frustrated and actually I really gave up hope,” he said.

Written by Joseph Nasr Editing by Jane Merriman and David Holmes

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