An Air Force spokesman said the crew’s organizational leadership found that the crew “exercised sound judgment in its decision to board the air as soon as possible when faced with an unprecedented and rapidly deteriorating security situation.” Video on social media showed the flight taking off as hundreds of Afghans had access to the runway and bodies appeared to have fallen from the plane as it took off from Kabul. The C-17 departed from Hamid Karzai International Airport on 16 August and landed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The human remains were discovered during the landing in Qatar. Bentlam at Kabul airport on Sunday, August 15, 2021, as Afghans tried to escape Taliban rule. Sudhir Chaudhary Shortly after the incident, the Air Force Special Investigation Bureau launched an inspection and confiscated the aircraft to allow time for debris collection and inspection of the aircraft. In a statement Monday, the Air Force said that after the Special Investigation Bureau processed and documented the aircraft, it made the scene public in the host state, which refused further investigation. The US Air Force Mobility and Central Command reviewed the findings of the investigation and concluded that the aircraft crew complied with the rules of engagement for this incident. The aircraft’s social media video was in the early days of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the ousting of the Afghan president. In the coming days, the United States and its allies would help evacuate some 124,000 people.
Afghanistan: The new reality
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CBS News reporter covering the Pentagon.
