The chaos at Kabul airport is conflicting with that of President Joe Biden reassuring words in a speech Friday. A Defense Department official said U.S. troops were evacuated 5,700 people a day earlier, including about 250 Americans, from Kabul.
The evacuees who were lucky enough to get out of it Afghanistan they were transferred to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany on Friday. Those Afghan evacuees can stay in Ramstein for several weeks, according to U.S. military officials.
Other evacuees traveled 1,200 miles to Doha, Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. But with so many evacuees flying to Doha in recent days, space in Doha is starting to be limited. U.S. officials say there is no more room here to prosecute them. Al Udeid Air Force Base reached its capacity on Friday, forcing the US to suspend flights for hours at Kabul airport until you can find other countries, such as Germany, that agree to transit evacuees through their territories safely.
Thousands of Americans and Afghans have tried to overtake the Taliban fighters and a crushing crowd, fearing they will be left behind without the protection of US troops. Some Afghans trying to board a flight tell CBS News that many people who are not necessarily in imminent danger have showed up at the airport and are obstructing others who need to get out.
Full airports and rescue missions are just a sign of how many people in Afghanistan are still waiting and waiting for U.S. troops to abandon them. Just beyond the walls of the airport, the Pentagon says it sent three helicopters to rescue about 170 U.S. citizens from a hotel. CBS News’ Roxana Saberi and her crew stayed at the hotel, but left two days before helicopter rescues began.
A man told CBS News that he is trying to flee because he worked for the U.S. government, but has not yet obtained a visa. “I haven’t received it. Most people haven’t received it,” he said.
Afghans like him fear the Taliban will tighten the capital. A Taliban leader, Khalil Haqqan, is on the US terrorist list. He spoke in Friday prayers, a reminder of who is now in charge.