Chaos at Kabul Airport Amid Rumors of Flight to Turkey Taking Off

Crowds Gathered Hoping for Afghan Escape as Volunteers
Taliban Officially Denies Rumors via SNS

A commotion erupted in Afghanistan as thousands of people flocked to Kabul International Airport due to a false rumor that they could board a relief flight to Turkey as volunteers.

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 9th (local time), thousands of Afghan residents gathered at Kabul International Airport the previous night. Most were young men, but some women and children were also among them. They ran toward the airport empty-handed, without luggage or belongings. The reason they headed to the airport in the middle of the night despite the cold was a rumor that the Taliban government was sending relief flights carrying volunteers to Turkey and Syria, where a strong earthquake had recently occurred.

On the night of the 8th (local time), Afghan residents flocked to Kabul International Airport amid rumors of a relief flight departing for Turkey.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Videos posted on social media (SNS) at the time show large crowds shouting and pushing in the dark. They were soon stopped by airport security forces who fired warning shots. It was reported that some residents were beaten and injured during the crackdown.

Eventually, around 10 p.m., Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Afghan government, personally intervened and tweeted, "The rumor about a special flight to Turkey is not true," adding, "No one should go to the airport with such intentions or disrupt order within the airport." Only after this did the residents turn back home.

This incident, which ended as a mere misunderstanding, began on the same day the Taliban government announced a support package worth 15 million Afghanis (approximately 210 million KRW) for Turkey and Syria. Residents desperate to leave Afghanistan, even by volunteering to board a relief flight, rushed to the airport without hesitation.

Abdul Gafar, a resident who waited near Kabul airport for three hours that day, told the Associated Press, "I thought if I could board a relief flight to Turkey, I could help people and find a way out of Afghanistan." An unnamed man also told WP about what he witnessed, saying, "On my way to a wedding, I saw people running to the airport, and shortly after, we heard gunshots. People said those going to the airport were being taken to Turkey, so my brother and I wanted to try our luck and go too."

Regarding this, WP commented, "The rush of Afghan residents to the airport appears to reflect a desperate reality amid a severe economic crisis, where people are willing to use any means to leave Afghanistan."

Reminiscent of the 'Escape Rush' in August 2021

Residents flocking to Kabul Airport in August 2021 to escape Afghanistan.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Foreign media also reported that this incident reminded them of the 'escape rush' that occurred one and a half years ago when the Taliban's takeover became imminent. After the U.S. military withdrawal, the Taliban took control of Kabul faster than expected in August 2021, causing chaos at Kabul airport as foreigners and residents hurried to flee abroad. At that time, some residents clung to departing planes and died after falling mid-air or were shot and killed.

WP reported that currently, millions of people in Afghanistan are unemployed and forced into extreme situations where they must beg, borrow money, or commit crimes to survive. International relief organizations estimate that nearly half of Afghanistan's 40 million population will suffer from hunger this winter, with 6 million enduring a 'critical food shortage.'

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