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In Qatar, Afghan refugees trapped for days at an American base

2021-08-21T18:54:47.916Z


According to the Qatari authorities, "all the evacuees were provided with suitable accommodation". After the Taliban quickly took power in Afghanistan, Harris, 31, had to flee the country faster than expected but has been stuck in Qatar for several days with many other Afghans dreaming of a new life in the United States. Read alsoAfghanistan: it will be "impossible" to evacuate all Afghan personnel from Kabul by August 31, says the EU Six days after the capture of the Afghan capital by ultra-


After the Taliban quickly took power in Afghanistan, Harris, 31, had to flee the country faster than expected but has been stuck in Qatar for several days with many other Afghans dreaming of a new life in the United States.

Read alsoAfghanistan: it will be "impossible" to evacuate all Afghan personnel from Kabul by August 31, says the EU

Six days after the capture of the Afghan capital by ultra-radical Islamist insurgents after an expeditious military campaign, evacuation operations continue, with thousands of residents seeking to flee the new regime.

The chaos is such that US officials on Friday announced the suspension of evacuation operations for several hours because their Al-Udeid air base in Qatar was saturated and could no longer receive new evacuees.

There are thousands of Afghans in atrocious conditions.

It is our third day here, there is no Wifi and only a bathroom and a WC.

There are no covers,

”said to AFP, by Whatsapp message, Harris, who does not wish to give his full name for fear of reprisals.

Arrived Wednesday, he says he is "

still on the military base, waiting to board a plane

".

We are not given precise information.

"

Chaos

According to Qatari authorities, "

all evacuees have been provided with adequate accommodation

", but the US State Department is criticized for its mismanagement of evacuations, with a lack of staff to manage the number of arrivals and barriers bureaucratic slowing down departures.

US General Hank Taylor said on Friday that 6,000 people were evacuated by US military planes in 24 hours, before the base in Qatar was saturated and flights from Kabul suspended for a few hours.

To read also Mathieu Bock-Côté: "Afghanistan, the end of a great illusion"

Many evacuees were redirected to Germany, where the United States has numerous military bases.

Unlike many of his fellow Afghans, Harris holds an American “

green card

” granting him permanent resident status.

He usually lives with his family in the United States.

In Kabul while the Taliban were at the gates of the capital, he initially planned to flee on a commercial flight, but the sudden capture of the city forced him to change strategy and board a military flight.

The flights were (all) canceled and I didn't know what the Taliban would do and if I would have another chance to leave the country,

” he explained.

"

Delusional

"

At Al-Udeid, the largest US base in the region, Harris describes scenes of chaos. “

Everyone is pushing and wreaking havoc.

He says he tried to play the intermediary with the American forces but a soldier called him to order, calling him "

delusional

". "

It is they who are delusional because they lost the war against a gang of bikers in sandals,

" he said. According to him, many people, including children and women, sleep on the floor. “

I have enabled my tethering for hundreds of people and I don't know how much it will end up costing me

,” he added.

10 minutes from the center of Doha, a group of refugees recently evacuated from Afghanistan wait in a complex desperately waiting to reach the United States.

I saw a Taliban hit someone who was trying to get through the airport fence and I was so scared,

” said a woman who fled the country with her brother.

The United States, which plans to evacuate more than 30,000 Americans and Afghan civilians via its bases in Kuwait and Qatar, says it has already released more than 13,000 people since August 14.

For US President Joe Biden, it is "

one of the most difficult (evacuations) in history

".

More than 7,000 people have been evacuated to Qatar, according to local authorities.

In Kabul, the roads leading to the airport continue to be congested, with thousands of families hoping to board a plane by miracle while, according to a report by a group of experts working for the UN, the Taliban have “

Priority lists

” of wanted Afghans.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-08-21

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