August 31, the date for a planned withdrawal for US troops, is drawing near – and that is fueling tensions among Afghans who want to leave the country. Because for many people the prospects are still poor.

They don’t want to leave this place, they want to go out of their country. Thousands of people are still standing in front of the airport, even continuous firing on their heads cannot stop them. The Taliban fear more than the bullets they could have. These recordings are from the Kurdish TV station Rudaw, the reporter says:

You are trying to isolate people, but they are not ready. They all now want to leave Afghanistan.

Peter Hornung
ARD studio new delhi

You, these are Taliban security forces and American soldiers. The new rulers in Afghanistan said yesterday they wanted to block access to the airport so that only foreigners could reach there. Many people have been in front of the airport for days, eagerly waiting for the gates to open and let them go to the site. And many of them will never get to the other side of the thick walls, they are not on the traveler list.

And those who stand on it cannot reach the gates like Amir. That’s not his real name, but he worked for the Bundeswehr: “There were a lot of people and the soldiers were in complete tension. And they couldn’t control the people anymore, then stun grenades were used. That’s it. There was a disaster, people overtook each other. The children fell to the ground and their parents could not lift them.”

call for help via whatsapp

Hardly possible at the gates, even for those who really should be allowed. And the closer the deadline for the end of the airlift approaches, the more the tension builds up. For all those looking to get out – even those far away from Kabul Airport. Like in Mazar-i-Sharif, where the Bundeswehr was stationed. Former local workers and local staff of German soldiers still live there.

The wife of a cook working in an army kitchen pleaded for help via WhatsApp: “My husband’s life is in danger. Everyone in our neighborhood knows he worked for the Germans. Everyone is constantly asking That is why we are not leaving the country. I wish he had never worked for the Germans. If the Taliban or the ‘Islamic State’ kidnap my husband, there would be no one left to look after me and my children. I’ve already lost my parents, I don’t want to lose my husband too.”

Helpful and organization stay behind

The US will probably have to adhere to the August 31 return date. Then the American troops would leave the country. The last plane with former local personnel to be brought out of Afghanistan will have to leave a few days earlier. The last flight of the Bundeswehr may take place on Thursday or Friday. This means that aides to German troops or organizations would then remain in Afghanistan.