A shooting group of American veterans, military contractors, aid workers and former spies are released to get as many people out of Afghanistan as they can before President Biden closes the window to rescue them in the coming days.
While tens of thousands of Afghans who helped the United States and a large number of American and other foreign citizens remain trapped, Mr. Biden adheres to his plan to withdraw the remaining military forces from the U.S.-controlled airport in Kabul on 31 August.
Erik Prince, the U.S. defense contractor, said he offers people seats on an ugly plane from Kabul for $ 6,500 per person. U.S. and NATO forces are sending special rescue teams to Taliban-controlled areas of the city to take their citizens to the airport. And countless Afghans who thought the United States would protect them after helping U.S.-led coalition forces over the past two decades realize they will most likely be left behind to deal with Taliban anger.
This week private rescue efforts are facing growing obstacles, as is the urgency. Charter planes leave Kabul with hundreds of empty seats. New Taliban checkpoints on Pakistan’s road have made leaving the country increasingly risky. The confusion of bureaucratic obstacles has prevented countless people from leaving Afghanistan.
“It’s total chaos,” said Warren Binford, a law professor at the University of Colorado who has been working on several evacuation efforts. “What’s happening is we’re seeing a big underground railroad operation where, instead of running for decades, it literally runs for a few hours or days.”