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The
final German military aircraft carrying soldiers and German and
Afghan civilians left Kabul for Tashkent on Thursday.
An Afghan student who was on the onward flight to Germany from
Uzbekistan said he never wanted to return to his homeland after
seeing his desperate countrymen sleeping outside Kabul airport
for days.
"The past few days were very burdensome," said the 28-year-old.
"People have been spending the night near the airport for days
to maybe get a chance to get near the entrance and then get
inside somehow. It is very tough for us and when you see the
people there, it's hard to take."
Germany says it has received assurances from the Taliban that
Afghans with legal documents will be able to travel on
commercial flights beyond the Aug. 31, when the last NATO troops
will leave the country.
An Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people, including 13
U.S. soldiers, outside the gates of Kabul airport on Thursday,
complicating efforts to evacuate Afghan civilians.
Germany completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan in
June but had returned a contingent to Kabul to evacuate
civilians in danger of retaliation from Taliban, mainly Afghans
who had worked for its military and for aid groups.
The chaotic airlift that followed the Taliban's lighting
takeover of the country has sparked a debate about immigration
and prolonged military operations, a month before a general
election in Germany.
(Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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