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world news Diamars 17 augustus 2021

Kabul airport plunges into chaos as Taliban patrols capital

(AP) — Thousands of Af- planned to withdraw at the chaos left seven dead, includ-
ghans rushed into Kabul’s end of the month. ing several who fell from the
main airport Monday, flight. Pentagon spokesman
some so desperate to es- “The world is following John Kirby said U.S. forces
cape the Taliban that they events in Afghanistan with killed two people he de-
held onto a military jet as a heavy heart and deep dis- scribed as carrying weapons
it took off and plunged quiet about what lies ahead,” in the melee. He said 1,000
to their deaths. At least warned United Nations more U.S. troops would be
seven people died in the Secretary-General Antonio deployed to secure the air-
chaos, U.S. officials said, Guterres. field and back up the 2,500
as America’s longest war already there.
ended with its enemy the As the U.S. military and oth-
victor. ers continued evacuation All flights at the airport —
flights, Afghans swarmed both military and civilian
The crowds came while the over the international air- — were halted until Afghan
Taliban enforced their rule port’s tarmac. Some climbed civilians can be cleared from
over the capital of 5 mil- into aircraft parked on the the runway, Kirby added.
lion people after a lightning taxiway, while others dangled
advance across the country precariously off a jet bridge. Late Monday night, hun- were afraid that the plane Arifi gave up and returned
that took just over a week dreds of people remained would return and that we home.
to dethrone the country’s U.S. troops took positions to trapped between American would enter that chaos. We
Western-backed government. guard the active runway, but forces trying to push them were sad for those people.” Other Afghans, like Ra-
There were no major reports the crowd stormed past them out of the airport and Taliban khmatula Kuyash, are also
of abuses or fighting, but and their armored vehicles. forces trying to keep them in, Shafi Arifi, who had a ticket trying to leave through land
many residents stayed home Gunshots rang out. As one witnesses said. An Associated to travel to Uzbekistan on border crossings, all of which
and remained fearful after U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Press journalist also saw what Sunday, was unable to board are now controlled by the
the insurgents’ advance saw Globemaster III tried to take appeared to be an airstrike his plane because it was Taliban.
prisons emptied and armor- off, a helicopter did low runs target two vehicles near the packed with people who had
ies looted. in front of it to try to drive airport. raced across the tarmac and “I’m lost and I don’t know
people off the runway. climbed aboard, with no po- what to do,” said Kuyash,
Across the nation, the Inter- More than 300 people were lice or airport staff in sight. who crossed into Uzbekistan
national Committee of the Videos showed a group of Af- evacuated aboard a Turkish on Sunday after leaving his
Red Cross warned that thou- ghans hanging onto the plane Airlines flight after Turkish “There was no room for us children and relatives in Af-
sands had been wounded in just before takeoff and several soldiers cleared the runway. to stand,” said the 24-year- ghanistan. “I left everything
fighting. Elsewhere, security falling through the air as the Senol Celik, who identified old. “Children were cry- behind.”
forces and politicians handed airplane rapidly gained alti- himself as a Turkish Embassy ing, women were shouting,
over their provinces and bas- tude over the city. employee, said people “threw young and old men were Others were not so lucky.
es without a fight, likely be- themselves in front of the so angry and upset, no one Uzbekistan air defenses shot
lieving the two-decade West- Senior American military of- plane.” could hear each other. There down an Afghan military air-
ern experiment to remake ficials, who spoke on condi- was no oxygen to breathe.” craft that tried to enter the
Afghanistan would not sur- tion of anonymity to discuss “They wanted to board the country without permission.
vival the resurgent Taliban. the ongoing operation, told plane. They wanted to escape After a woman fainted and The two pilots were report-
The last American troops had The Associated Press that the Afghanistan,” he said. “We was carried off the plane, edly injured and in custody.

'A new day': Opposition leader elected president in Zambia

(AP) — Zambia’s vet- history. Lungu’s government, but he tolerance” to corruption. In pictures posted on Lun-
eran opposition leader said he would not seek ven- gu’s Twitter page, both men
Hakainde Hichilema has President Edgar Lungu, 64, geance or retribution. Hichilema garnered more smiled as they showed their
won the southern African accepted defeat and said he than half of the nearly 5 mil- parties’ political hand sym-
country’s presidency with would work for a “peaceful Preaching unity in Zambia, lion votes cast to win the bols. Also in the photos were
more than 50% of the vote. transfer of power.” a country of 18 million peo- presidency outright, without Jakaya Kikwete, the former
ple with several political and having to go to a runoff elec- president of Tanzania who
Hichilema was declared pres- Hichilema welcomed Lun- ethnic divisions, Hichilema tion. About 80% of the coun- was the head of the Com-
ident–elect early Monday af- gu’s concession but described urged an end to all politi- try’s registered voters cast monwealth’s observer mis-
ter getting more than 2.8 mil- the outgoing government as a cal violence in which several their ballots. sion, and Ernest Bai Koroma,
lion votes to President Edgar “brutal regime.” Hichilema people died in the run-up to the former president of Sier-
Lungu’s 1.8 million votes, had been arrested multiple the elections. Hichilema will become Zam- ra Leone who was the head of
achieving one of the biggest times and spent some time in bia’s seventh president since the African Union’s observer
electoral wins in Zambia’s jail on treason charges under “It is indeed a new day. the reintroduction of multi- mission.
Change is here,” said Hich- party democracy in 1991 by
ilema on Monday. “Let’s put founding president, the late Zambians celebrated over-
the past behind us. We are Kenneth Kaunda, who had night, with hundreds of Hi-
not going into office to arrest ruled the country as a one- chilema’s frenzied supporters
those who arrested us … to party state for more than two turning his home on the out-
replace those that have been decades. skirts of the capital, Lusaka,
very violent against our peo- into a party zone.
ple only to start a new wave Hichilema narrowly lost two
of violence.” previous elections to Lungu Hichilema has his work cut
in 2015 and 2016. His sup- out for him, as his supporters
Hichilema, a 59-year old port grew in each of those are looking to him to increase
businessman contesting the polls and in 2016 he lost by employment and cut out cor-
presidency for the sixth time, just 100,000 votes. ruption. “We will fix this!”
promised democratic re- was one of his popular cam-
forms, investor-friendly eco- Hichilema and Lungu met paign slogans.
nomic policies, better debt later Monday, a sign of the
management as well as “zero start of a smooth transition.