Trying to flee Kabul: ‘We had no information at all’

I obtained married in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. We needed to fly out earlier, however all flights had been canceled. I registered with ELEFAND, which is the German Foreign Ministry’s on-line portal for German residents in disaster areas, and I obtained a solution early final week telling us to go to Kabul airport. We left Mazar-i-Sharif certain for Kabul.
We went straight to the airport the primary day we arrived. But there was far an excessive amount of happening: enormous crowds all over the place, troopers firing warning photographs into the air. We didn’t dare go additional in with our suitcases.
Second try
The subsequent day, we took solely backpacks with us. I had solely an electronic mail from the Foreign Ministry telling me to return to the airport’s North Gate if attainable. My firm’s safety service, nevertheless, had informed me that they had contacted somebody on the airport who would decide us up on the gate. But the streets had been utterly packed, and we needed to stroll the final 5 or 6 kilometers (3 to 4 miles).
The crowd there was so large — there will need to have been greater than 10,000 individuals there, with everybody pushing and shoving. My spouse was virtually pushed to the bottom and fainted. But, thankfully, there was a person who helped get her to the aspect. It was unbearably scorching. We washed our faces with water and let it run over our heads.

Then we ended up at one other gate as a result of the group in entrance of the North Gate was simply too large. There had been Americans there, however they shouted very loudly: “Go away!” and threatened to make use of their weapons. After a number of tries, I lastly discovered a German soldier and requested him if we might enter as a result of the North Gate was too distant and my spouse was very weak since we hadn’t eaten all day. He stated, “OK, wait here a minute. I need to talk to someone.” We waited, however no one got here. At 8 p.m., we couldn’t stand it anymore within the crowd and warmth and with out something to eat.
We began heading residence when individuals fired tear fuel at us. Fortunately, we had water with us to clean it off. But I noticed girls and youngsters simply falling down. I noticed plenty of injured individuals who had been both shot or trampled and likewise a number of individuals with bloodshot eyes from the tear fuel. That was the worst factor we skilled: the tear fuel.
The shock runs deep
The subsequent morning, I had misplaced all hope. No one got here to assist us although I had all the mandatory paperwork with me. No one had any data for us, except for telling us that we would have liked to go to the North Gate. I known as all over the place, all of the numbers I had, even the worldwide assist numbers. But they couldn’t do something both. I didn’t need to return to the airport, however my spouse stated we needed to hold making an attempt.
On our third strive, we made it to a different gate after three or 4 hours. That’s the place I confirmed my papers to an Afghan soldier, who lastly allow us to onto the airport premises. I used to be fortunate as a result of there have been Bundeswehr troopers there who I used to be capable of speak with. From there it obtained a lot simpler. Our paperwork helped us to get in a foreign country. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 21, we left Kabul headed for Tashkent and from there by way of a connecting flight to Frankfurt.
I’m glad to be again in Germany, however the state of affairs for members of the family nonetheless in Afghanistan stays unsure. I’m particularly nervous about my father, who runs a ladies’ college and a kindergarten there. The shock of these days and the issues we skilled nonetheless runs deep.
Maryam Ok., nursery college trainer from Kassel
I’m married to an Afghan citizen, have a daughter and am six months pregnant. We had been visiting my husband’s household in Kabul since July and needed to fly again to Germany on a civilian flight on August 24. Nobody anticipated this. The Taliban, they stated, might by no means take Kabul so quickly. But then every little thing occurred so shortly. Virtually in a single day, they had been there.

We registered immediately with ELEFAND. On Monday night time (August 23), we spoke with a pleasant gentleman from the German Foreign Ministry, who took down our particulars and reassured us that every little thing can be nice. He additionally took down the names and passport numbers of our fast members of the family — my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law — and made positive that the names and passport numbers matched up. We had been informed we’d get an electronic mail inside the subsequent two hours with an hooked up PDF containing our tickets made out in our names. It all sounded very bureaucratic, very right and really German. Just like we’re used to.
With these paperwork in hand, we had been speculated to go to a gathering level close to the airport that had not but been decided. From there, somebody would decide us up. We packed our belongings and waited for the e-mail. But nothing got here. Not at midnight. Not at 1 within the morning. We had been nonetheless awake at 5 a.m. however nonetheless no electronic mail.
He stated our names had been on the checklist
It was the identical factor on Tuesday. On Wednesday, my sister in Germany tried once more to succeed in the Foreign Ministry in Berlin and had a tough time getting via. We obtained a name again from a German official who wasn’t capable of inform us something new. He stated the safety state of affairs on the bottom in Afghanistan was being reassessed. What he did inform us was that we had been registered and that our names, in any occasion, had been on the checklist. This wasn’t the case for my husband’s household, nevertheless, though we had been informed earlier that this was the case. Their names and particulars had been added to the checklist as properly. And that was it. After that, we didn’t hear something. We solely obtained a mass electronic mail despatched out to everybody telling us to not go to the airport on our personal due to the dire safety state of affairs there.
We went there anyway, and it was full chaos. We thought we’d be capable to make it via by waving our German passports. But we needed to struggle our approach via on foot since there have been unbelievable crowds of individuals from throughout Afghanistan: There had been newborns, injured individuals. My husband additionally noticed a lifeless girl and one who was crying for her husband. There had been individuals who handed out. The morning warmth was horrible. Then we handed the Americans and it was immediately fairly clear. They informed us to maintain going as a result of Germans had been additional forward. Then we will need to have walked one other 2 kilometers to the following airport gate. That’s the place all hell broke unfastened. There had been no German troopers there. So we circled and headed again.
No extra flights going out
An Afghan acquaintance with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Kabul was with us the previous few nights, hoping that as a German citizen I’d lastly get an electronic mail and that she’d be capable to go away the nation with us. Her boss in Berlin additionally tried to assist.
We went again to the airport on Thursday to strive once more. She gave us the variety of a German and I don’t know if he was a soldier or a diplomat and I known as and requested him: “Can you help us? We’re standing very close to the airport gate. Can someone get us in?” But all he stated was: “I’ll be very direct: No, there are no more flights going out. The gates are in real danger. It would be better if you just headed home.” We left the realm as soon as once more.
I now don’t know what we’re speculated to do. The solely factor left is to hope that we’ll ultimately be capable to get a civilian flight out of right here. But I’m not very hopeful.
Three hours later, a pair of explosions close to Kabul airport killed scores of individuals. The final German navy flight left the Afghan capital Thursday night time.