the maneuvers of an Italian pilot to take off from Kabul between machine gun fire

A confusing episode with a C130J aircraft of the Italian Air Force, whose crew estimated that bursts of machine guns fired in the area of ​​the airport were directed at the plane when it closed on the morning of this Thursday with 98 Afghan fugitives and various journalists On board, the drama of one of the last days of the evacuation of Kabul, which should end on Tuesday 31st, heightened the drama.

The episode occurs when the situation around the airport is completely out of control. A suicide bomber reportedly detonated near the treatment center on the outskirts of the terminal where hundreds of people with children are waiting to leave the country.

Hours before the attack, from the United States to the United Kingdom warned that an attack was imminent.

Piloted by a female officer, the C130 had started to take off when, according to journalists traveling on the plane, the aircraft performs the maneuvers of what is called the “tactical decolaje”, which are spectacular and serve to contrast the alleged attack.

The pilot cleared the aircraft from the gunfire and the plane flew to Kuwait, where I land without difficulty. The 98 refugees were transferred to another military apparatus which then went to Rome.

The first information reaching the capital was alarming, but Italian intelligence sources told ANSA news agency that an afghan pick-up equipped with heavy machine guns he had fired bursts of 14.5 caliber machine guns into the air.

did it for disperse a crowd desperate people who pressed the airport gates to try to enter and be evacuated to the United States or European countries.

“No shots were directed at the plane,” Italian intelligence sources confirmed to ANSA.

One hundred thousand evacuees

With the last flights left on Thursday from Kabul, the wall of hundred thousand people evacuated from the capital of Afghanistan on one of the largest airlifts in history.

By the afternoon, some 13,400 people had already been embarked, including 5,100 in 17 US military flights and 8,300 in 74 flights from other countries of the Western coalition.

The White House reported that since the end of July they have been evacuated 101,300 people including 95,700 on August 15, the day the Taliban entered the Italian capital and the local government fled.

It turned out that the last four flights on Thursday from Germany they would be the last, anticipating the announcement that Friday evening the last German plane would leave Kabul.

In a letter to Parliament, the Dutch Foreign and Defense Ministers indicated that “in all probability” this Thursday 26 will take place the last flights.

Poland also “for security reasons” completed its evacuation Thursday after transporting 1,300 people.

Denmark has completed its air evacuation missions, which Belgium planned for Wednesday 25.

Rome, correspondent

ap