The C-17 crew made the right call to take off from the airport in Afghanistan’s capital, the US Air Force says
US Air Force determined that the Boeing C-17 crew was not to blame for Afghan civilians’ deaths as the plane took off from Kabul Airport in August 2021. The incident occurred during a US-led withdrawal.
Ann Stefanek, spokesperson for the Air Force stated in a Monday statement that they had released the following information to the media: “aircrew had acted appropriately and exercised sound judgment in their decision to get airborne as quickly as possible when faced with an unprecedented and rapidly deteriorating security situation”Afghanistan
Stefanek observed that the crew was “in compliance with applicable rules of engagement”Their quick and decisive thinking and actions had made sure that the crew was safe.
It occurred at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International airport on August 16th, 2021. This was in the wake of a US withdrawal. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians were desperate to flee the country following the fall of its government to the Taliban.
The US officials claim that the plane arrived in Kabul early in the morning with supplies and equipment for US Marines, soldiers and others who were trying to protect the airport from intruders, and aiding in the evacuation of thousands Americans and Afghans. After the C-17 landed and moved its loading ramp down to load the supplies, however, large numbers of Afghans rushed onto the airport to try to hurry the aircraft.
Uncertain of the threat from the crowd, the crew members returned to the aircraft and pulled up on the ramp. After communicating with Air Traffic Control, the pilots were allowed to take off. However, the plane was still being manned by a large number of people. Some even tried to escape into the wheel wells which house the landing gears when the aircraft is in flight.
Although several Apache helicopters were deployed to rescue civilians, many people managed to stay on the ground for quite a while.
The incident was captured on video. Some people jumped off the plane shortly before it took off. Others fell after the aircraft reached a significant height. Later, the body parts of other passengers were discovered in the cockpit of the plane after it touched down at Al Udeid Air Base Qatar.
After the tragedy, the US Air Force asked its Office of Special Investigations (US Air Force) to investigate the matter. The Office of Special Investigations stated that they would be reviewing all videos and posts on social media relating to this incident.
Air Mobility Command and US Central Command conducted the reviews. Both concurred that C-17 crew acted in accordance with the circumstances on the ground and were rightfully within their rights.
Stefanek pointed out that crewmembers were left traumatized in the incident and that they were then sent for counselling with mental health professionals as well as chaplains.
“This was a tragic event and our hearts go out to the families of the deceased,” Stefanek concluded.
After nearly 20 years in war, President Joe Biden ordered a Pentagon-led evacuation of Afghanistan. It took several weeks. There were scenes of violence and chaos, such as an Islamic State suicide attack outside Kabul’s airport, which resulted in approximately 170 Afghan civilians being killed and 13 American soldiers.
Biden claims that “one of the biggest airlifts in history”More than 112,000 people left the country.
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