Behind the Success of the 'Miracle Operation' Was Support from the US and Other Allies

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] With the safe arrival of the remaining 13 Afghan aides in Korea, the Korean government and military's 'Miracle' transport operation has been successfully completed. This success was largely due to the efforts of the government, military, and local staff, but it is also reported that the unseen assistance from allies such as the United States played a significant role.

The Ministry of National Defense previously stated in a press release on the 26th that the success of the Miracle transport operation, which ensured the safe arrival of Afghan aides in Korea, was made possible by the full cooperation of the allied United States.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the United States provided crucial assistance by using military aircraft to urgently transport three staff members from the Korean Embassy in Afghanistan and one aide from the Korean Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to Kabul, Afghanistan.

The United States Central Command, which controls Kabul Airport, also frequently granted prior flight approvals (PPR) for Korean military transport aircraft to land and take off at Kabul Airport, accepting urgent PPR requests without a single refusal.

The U.S. military also played a major role in transporting Afghans inside the airport using buses. Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House Communications Chief, explained the tense situation during an interview on TBS's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the 26th: "Since the Taliban set up checkpoints blocking Afghans' access to Kabul Airport, we cooperated with the U.S., with whom we had dealings in Afghanistan, to find a way for the U.S. military to board buses and transport them that way."

Initially, our side requested local aides to walk to Kabul Airport, but due to the Taliban's strict checkpoints, only 26 people arrived at first. Consequently, we chose the 'bus transport' method in cooperation with the U.S. military, gathering the aides and bringing them to the airport. Park said, "We maintained good communication to ensure they gathered where the buses were, and they boarded the buses in groups to enter Kabul Airport."

Thanks to this, 391 people targeted for domestic transport were moved to Kabul Airport and safely transported to Korea via Pakistan. Park also stated that this process was "decisive."

In addition to the United States, allied countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada supported the security of Kabul Airport, the Pakistani government cooperated in airport use for the Korean military special mission team, and countries including India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines actively assisted by promptly approving airspace passage. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Choi Young-sam said at a regular briefing, "This mission was carried out through close communication and cooperation with the international community in many areas such as airport support and airspace passage," and expressed gratitude to friendly countries that spared no diplomatic cooperation.

Meanwhile, through the Miracle transport operation, 391 Afghan aides from 76 families who entered Korea on short-term visas are scheduled to stay for 6 to 8 weeks at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk. The Ministry of Justice plans to issue long-term stay visit and cohabitation (F-1) visas in the future, and the government also intends to provide support for employment and education to those who wish to stay in Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.