South Africans in Afghanistan describe the chaos as the Taliban take the capital
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Afghan nationals are desperate to leave their country after Taliban forces entered Kabul on Sunday and the Western-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, fled. The insurgents said they were seeking complete power.
A South African contractor described apocalyptic scenes at Kabul’s airport as panicking Afghan civilians scaled the airport walls and stormed the airfield.
To a backdrop of machine-gun fire and US helicopters thudding overhead, the contractor said the flood of frightened people into the airport perimeter had resulted in commercial flights in and out of the besieged Afghan capital being cancelled.
Days before all commercial flights were stopped and the Taliban took control of Kabul, a South African man decided to pack his bags and flee.
Casper du Plessis, from Bloemfontein in Free State, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight on August 8 and made it out. He is one of the lucky few.
They share their stories.
A South African contractor described apocalyptic scenes at Kabul’s airport as panicking Afghan civilians scaled the airport walls and stormed the airfield.
To a backdrop of machine-gun fire and US helicopters thudding overhead, the contractor said the flood of frightened people into the airport perimeter had resulted in commercial flights in and out of the besieged Afghan capital being cancelled.
Days before all commercial flights were stopped and the Taliban took control of Kabul, a South African man decided to pack his bags and flee.
Casper du Plessis, from Bloemfontein in Free State, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight on August 8 and made it out. He is one of the lucky few.
They share their stories.