Late Sunday, as the Taliban was seizing control of Kabul, the U.S. Air Force safely evacuated hundreds of Afghans from the city.
Some 640 people crammed into the C-17 Globemaster III in what is believed to be among the greatest numbers of people ever flown in the massive military cargo plane, according to Defense One.
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The aircraft, operating with the call sign Reach 871, is not designed to carry such a large load, but Afghans eager to escape the horrors of the Taliban — which is already going door-to-door, killing and assaulting families — pulled themselves into the American aircraft.
An unnamed official told Defense One that, rather than trying to get the refugees off the aircraft, the crew onboard “made the decision to go.”
“Approximately 640 Afghan civilians disembarked the aircraft when it arrived at its destination,” another official told the outlet.
Here’s footage of them loading onto the C-17 aircraft:
In shocking footage of another departure shared Monday, Afghans could be seen clinging to a C-17 aircraft as it taxied down the runway.
Additional videos appeared to show desperate Afghans falling of the airplane as it was in the sky.
President Joe Biden announced Monday afternoon he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, noting the government there did collapse sooner than he anticipated.
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