Kabul International Airport (or Hamid Karzai Airport) is one of Afghanistan's major airports and a major military base, and is the main exit route for Western diplomats and aid workers.

The exhumation of the bodies of Afghan citizens who fell from homes, after clinging to the tires of an American plane that took off from Kabul Airport, was not the first tragic accident that the airport witnessed, but was preceded by many accidents.

dead and wounded

On Monday, August 16, 2021, local media and activists circulated shocking videos of Afghan citizens clinging to the wheels of a US military plane as it took off from Kabul Airport.

The clip shows the American plane preparing to take off, while hundreds of Afghan youths are running in front and around it, a number of them clinging to its wheels as it continues to walk on the runway.

Ten people were killed and a number of wounded at Kabul International Airport as a result of chaos, stampede and shooting by US forces in the air, after crowds of Afghans invaded the airport runway, hoping to escape from the country after the Taliban took control of it, after which the airport authorities announced the cancellation of all commercial flights.

US soldiers are responsible for securing the airport to help evacuate US embassy employees and foreign diplomats from several countries, as well as other civilians who want to leave after Taliban militants took control of most of the facilities in the capital.

Hundreds of Afghans crowded into the airport in an effort to get out of the country after Taliban militants entered the capital, Kabul, on Sunday.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Kabul reported - this morning, Monday - that about 3,000 Afghans are at Kabul airport, hoping to leave, and indicated that he has detected a large movement towards the airport for people who want to leave without having tickets or entry visas.

The reporter pointed out that the crowds headed to the airport after rumors spread among the residents of the capital and on social media that Western countries - especially the United States and Canada - would transfer those wishing to immigrate to them without the need for visas or travel documents.

previous disasters

On January 2, 1962, the cargo plane of Iran Air, Flight No. (D123), crashed while trying to take off from Kabul International Airport, but the crew escaped death.

On January 15, 1969, an Afghan Airlines plane on the ground collided with another plane.

On September 21, 1984, an Ariana Afghan Airlines plane was hit by explosive bullets as it approached Kabul Airport. All passengers and crew survived the accident.

On November 29, 1986, a Soviet Air Force plane was hit by a Stinger missile while taking off from Kabul airport. The plane was carrying several tons of missiles and 400 kilograms of explosives to Jalalabad in Afghanistan. All seven crew members were killed.

On October 21, 1987, the Soviet Air Force collided with a helicopter as it took off from Kabul Airport in poor visibility, and the plane was heading to the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, where 18 of the 19 passengers and crew died.

On March 19, 1998, an Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727-200 crashed into the 3,000-foot (914-meter) Charki Baratayi mountain while descending to Kabul Airport. All 10 crew members and 35 passengers were killed. their deaths.

On February 3, 2005, Kam Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737-200, disappeared from radar screens when approaching Kabul Airport in bad weather. After extensive search by the Afghan army, the wreckage of the plane was found two days later in The mountains east of Kabul, where all 104 people on board, including 8 cabin crew, died.

- On September 8, 2009, a suicide bombing occurred near the entrance to the airport's military base.

On July 3, 2014, Taliban fighters fired two missiles at the airport, destroying 4 helicopters, one of which belonged to former President Hamid Karzai.

On January 29, 2015, a gunman killed 3 American contractors and an Afghan citizen outside the airport.

Airport History

Kabul International Airport is 5 km from the center of the capital, Kabul, and is capable of accommodating more than 100 aircraft.

It is known locally as Khwaja Rawash Airport, and it is still known to some airlines by this name.

Established by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, Afghanistan was then a global tourist destination.

The Soviet Army used it during the war between 1979-1989 as a military base.

- With the end of the war, the Afghan army regained control of the airport.

- In 1996, the Taliban took control of the airport in conjunction with their control over the rest of Afghanistan.

Five years before the start of the 2001 war, the airport was almost closed, with limited international flights.

- As the American forces began their war against the Taliban, they bombed the airport and destroyed its runway, buildings, and all the planes that were stationed there.

The United Nations sanctions on the airport were abolished in 2002.

With the deployment of the international coalition forces in Afghanistan, NATO forces took over the operation of the airport until 2005.

In November 2008, a new terminal, worth $35 million, was opened for international flights, and was built with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The northern part of the airport was prepared for use by US forces in 2008, and this part contains the command and control centers for the Afghan Air Force.

By 2010 passenger traffic reached 100,000 passengers per year, or 300 per day.

Early 2012 the radar system was reinforced to cover the entire airspace of Afghanistan.

In October 2014, the name of the airport was changed from Kabul International to Karzai International in honor of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

On December 31, 2014, the Turkish forces participating in the International Assistance Force for the Establishment of Security in Afghanistan (ISAF) took over from France the responsibility for providing security and commanding the airport.

The airport has 7 helicopter pads that are mostly used for military traffic.

Over the last decade, the airport has witnessed expansion and modernization works, as the new international terminal was added and the old terminal is currently used for domestic flights.

A number of military bases were built around the airport that were used by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces.

security arrangements

On June 14, 2021, Washington welcomed Ankara's "clear commitment" to playing a "key role" in securing Kabul Airport after a meeting between Biden and Erdogan, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

On June 15, 2021, the Taliban announced that it considered the decision of NATO to keep its forces to secure Kabul International Airport as a continuation of the occupation of Afghanistan, and a clear violation of the Doha Agreement.

- In late June 2021, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that it had discussed with an American delegation areas of cooperation regarding the operation of the airport, after the end of the NATO "Resolute Support" mission in Afghanistan.

On July 9, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara and Washington had agreed on "arrangements" for Turkish forces to secure Kabul Airport after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On July 11, 2021, the Afghan Ministry of Interior announced that it had installed an air defense system at the airport in the capital, Kabul, in anticipation of possible missile strikes by the "Taliban".

The ministry said that the system showed its effectiveness in countering missile strikes, but it did not reveal the type of system, nor who installed it at the capital's airport.

On August 15, 2021, there was chaos at Kabul International Airport, after the capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban.