Brisbane woman Shaima’s mother, brother and sister-in-law have Australian visas but keep getting turned away from Kabul airport as time runs out and the situation turns dire. | Anthony Galloway
Shaima Azizi has not slept in days. From her home in Brisbane, she has endured a cruel six-day merry-go-round as her family has repeatedly tried to get into the airport in Kabul, and onto an Australian flight to safety.
And now foreign officials and soldiers at Kabul airport – forced into an impossible situation by US President Joe Biden’s self-imposed August 31 deadline to get people out – appear to be prioritising the evacuation of people with foreign passports over Afghans.
After being let out of hospital, the three family members went back to the airport on Monday and spent all night trying to get into the Abbey Gate entrance leading into the military side of the airport. Shaima says they tried 11 times to enter but were rejected each time. At one point they were metres away from Australian soldiers.
“I saw women and children spend hours there, but they have been evacuated unconscious and waste all the effort,” the person said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ex-Australian embassy guards, families left standing in sewage waiting to evacuate Taliban-controlled KabulHundreds of former guards and their families were left standing in a moat for hours outside Kabul airport, before being told they did not have the right paperwork.
Read more »
A security expert explains the risks involved during an extraction mission in KabulTens of thousands of people have been evacuated from Kabul over the past week. Here, SBS News speaks with one of the men helping lead operations from Australia.
Read more »
ISIS-K threat hangs over Kabul airport evacuationsThe US military is establishing "alternative routes" to the Kabul airport because of a threat the terror group ISIS-K, a self-proclaimed branch of the Islamic State, poses to the airport and its surroundings.
Read more »
Biden rebuffs allies, will withdraw troops from Kabul end of AugustBritain wants to stay longer but its defence minister Ben Wallace says: “The two people with the biggest vote in the room are the US and the Taliban.”
Read more »
Our desperate attempts to help a journalist who has helped usAn Afghan journalist who has been crucial to ABC Investigations stories on alleged war crimes has an Australian visa, but can't get into the airport at Kabul.
Read more »
Afghans banned from airport by TalibanThe Taliban has made more demands from the US as they enforce a rule for locals hoping to fly out of Afghanistan that could have dire consequences for evacuation efforts.
Read more »