The U.S. Air Force said Monday it would not take disciplinary action against personnel who flew from Kabul to Qatar in August with human remains in the shaft of a C-17 cargo plane, saying the crew had shown “correct judgment” before of an “unprecedented” security crisis as dozens of Afghans flock to the plane before take-off. Officials, citing an investigation by the Air Force Special Investigation Bureau, described the incident as a “tragic event”. The gruesome discovery came at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on August 16 after crew had difficulty closing the plane’s landing gear and declared a state of emergency during the flight, U.S. military officials said at the time. It was first reported by the Washington Post. Deadly chaos unfolds at Kabul airport after Taliban return A day earlier, Taliban fighters had invaded the Afghan capital, completing a two-decade offensive to create and launch a surreal scene at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Hordes of Afghan civilians, desperate to leave the incoming regime, landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport, crossing the barrier and rushing to the flight line in a desperate, futile attempt to pursue the massive military aircraft. The video recorded during the chaos shows people climbing outside the planes they are traveling on. U.S. military officials at various levels reviewed the Air Force investigation and found that the C-17 crew “complied with applicable engagement rules specific to the incident and the general law of armed conflict,” said Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman. of the service. The commanders decided that the crew “acted appropriately” by deciding “to be airlifted as soon as possible,” he said. Thousands of Afghan families remain displaced after the US-led unrest The United States had withdrawn almost all of its military personnel from Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban takeover, but quickly sent thousands to Kabul to oust American citizens and Afghan allies from the growing crowd. In the next two weeks, more than 75,000 people were evacuated, although several thousand Afghans were left behind. The operation, although announced by the Biden government as successful, was marred by one misfortune after another. Afghans were killed by at least two US warplanes shortly after takeoff. It was not clear Monday whether the Air Force also acquitted the crews of offenses, and the Pentagon did not release any documents related to the investigation. A suicide bomber later killed nearly 200 Afghans and 13 U.S. soldiers in a plane crash outside the airport. In response, US forces attacked a drone that, after being checked, mistakenly targeted an Afghan man working for an American aid group, killing him and several members of his family. No US personnel were disciplined as a result of this incident. After thousands of Afghans occupied the airport on August 16, US troops tried to clear the runways using low-flying helicopters. The commanders briefly interrupted the evacuation flights until they regained control. Documents reveal US military frustration with White House and diplomats over evacuation from Afghanistan U.S. military personnel, in a study published in the Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act, likened the situation to “The Lord of the Flies,” a novel in which trapped teenagers must govern themselves. U.S. Marines opened fire inside the airport as evacuation began by Taliban fighters they thought were. They returned fire, killing two people, recalled members of the service involved. Four Afghans were shot dead at the airport in the first four days of the crisis and US troops remained uneasy throughout the evacuation that crowds could open a gate and riot, investigators were told. A Marine officer said a flash grenade used to control the crowd had killed a civilian. Prison. General Farrell Sullivan, who oversaw the Marines at the airport, told investigators the operation was likely to have a lasting impact on those involved. “I’m not very gentle, as adversity comes with our duties,” he said, “but it was an extremely difficult situation.”
