U.S. Air Force Says Five Individuals Intended to Hijack the Evacuation Flight Out of Afghanistan
The U.S. Air Force admitted that five individuals had planned to hijack the commercial evacuation flight out of Afghanistan back in August.
The U.S. Air Force furthered in a statement that the flight on the ground was about to be swarmed before managing to take off, The Daily Wire reported. The forces also noted that the sewage alley near Abbey Gate was crowded with over 10,000 people when it was attacked by a suicide bomber, later claimed by the ISIS-K.
Lt. Col. Brian Desautels, 71st Rescue Squadron and Personnel Recovery Task Force commander, said their team worked to get the individuals clear of the NATO ramp. The situation was then handled onto the south side of the area. However, the statement did not give any further details about when it has taken place or how it was resolved, according to a Washington Examiner report.
Desautels said that he was able to contact the Combined Forces Air Competent Commander. He said he received authorization to take off from the taxiway if needed. He was pertaining to the situation where the plane had a sliver away of runway to takeoff. Desautels said that the strategic message was they would have a runway.
The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations is currently doing its investigations on the situation. It includes videos showing people falling from a plane as it took off.
Kabul Attack
Two suicide bombers and gunmen had attacked crowds of Afghans waiting at the Kabul airport in August. The attacks had killed at least 60 Afghans while 13 U.S. troops lost their lives, according to an Associated Press News report.
There had been a warning about a major attack at the Kabul airport, which prompted officials to ask people to leave the premises. However, many did not heed the advice as many Afghans tried to escape the country before the American-led evacuation deadline on August 31.
The Islamic State group had claimed the attacks. The group was considered to be more radical than the Taliban.
U.S. President Joe Biden said that the attack will not push the U.S. out earlier as expected from Afghanistan. Biden said at the time that the nation will not forgive nor forget. He added that they will hunt those responsible and make them pay.
Meanwhile, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan had garnered criticisms, saying Biden had no intentions of firing or demoting top advisers involved, Reuters reported.
Dan Fried, a former senior U.S. diplomat now at the Atlantic Council think tank, said that blaming each other is "an ugly Washington sport." Fried said that the blame could be placed in all directions and be right in each case. He also noted that a failure like the one that happened in Afghanistan is collective.
One Biden administration official claimed that any dismissal would be seen as an admission that the president had erred in the withdrawal.
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Written by: Mary Webber
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