Striking image captures Kabul exodus
It’s one of the most striking images from the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Hundreds of Afghans packed into a US military cargo plane as they flee Kabul. The faces, many male but with some women and children, look up towards the camera, their expressions a mixture of anxiety and possibly some relief.
The image, not verified by the BBC, was obtained by the US defence analysis website, Defense One. On Sunday, panicked civilians had scrambled up the loading ramp, the website quoted a US official as saying, but the crew decided it was best to take off rather than force the Afghans off the plane. The number onboard – 640 – is among the highest carried by that type of plane, a C-17 Globemaster. It’s approaching, though still some way off, the record for the number of people transported by any plane – an Israeli Boeing 747 carrying more than 1,000 Jewish migrants from Ethiopia in 1991.(BBC)…[+]