US Collaborates with Taliban to Create 'Secret Gate' for Evacuating Its Citizens

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] It has been revealed that the United States created a 'secret gate' inside Kabul Airport with the cooperation of the Taliban to evacuate its citizens during the American evacuation operation in Afghanistan.

On the 31st (local time), CNN reported, citing U.S. officials, that the U.S. military escorted Americans through a designated gate at the airport under a secret agreement with the Taliban.

The U.S. Special Operations Forces set up a secret gate at the airport and even established a call center to guide Americans.

Evacuation-targeted Americans were notified to gather at pre-designated assembly points near the airport, and after the Taliban checked their access documents, they escorted them close to this gate. Afterwards, U.S. troops stationed at the gate led them inside the airport.

This plan appears to have been devised by the U.S. to evacuate its citizens after the Taliban took control of the Afghan regime on the 15th, and Afghans who had cooperated with the U.S. flooded the airport in an endless rush to escape, causing massive chaos. At that time, it was reported that the U.S. military controlled the inside of the airport, while the Taliban controlled the outside.

This type of Taliban escort reportedly occurred several times a day. One of the key assembly points was the Ministry of Interior building just outside the airport.

An official said, "It worked excellently."

However, CNN noted that it is unclear whether the Taliban refused entry to some Americans, considering many reports that Americans with passports and green cards were stopped at Taliban checkpoints near the airport.

CNN also reported cases where the U.S. military used the call center to directly guide its citizens to the secret gate inside the airport.

The Special Operations Forces sometimes communicated with their citizens to inform them where to go.

Central Command Commander Kenneth McKenzie said at a press briefing on the 30th that they helped evacuate more than 1,000 Americans and over 2,000 Afghans through phone guidance, route directions, and escorting.

This evacuation plan was treated as top secret until the withdrawal was completed.

CNN reported that the operation was kept secret due to concerns about the Taliban's reaction and the risk of attacks by the armed group Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) if it became publicly known.

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