PodcastTurkish citizens evacuated from Afghanistan recall chaos
Turkish citizens evacuated from Afghanistan on a military plane have recalled the chaos in the war-torn country, saying unemployed youth thronged Kabul airport with the expectation of starting a new life in western countries.
Duvar English - Anadolu Agency - Turkish citizens evacuated from Afghanistan on a military plane have recalled the chaos in the war-torn country, saying unemployed youth thronged Kabul airport with the expectation of starting a new life in western countries.
Some 273 Turks were flown from Kabul to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, by a Turkish Armed Forces A400M plane, also known as a "flying fortress." They subsequently flew to Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines plane on Aug. 18.
Rafet Gürbüz, a Turkish businessman, said they were sent off by the Turkish ambassador in Kabul and welcomed well in Islamabad.
"Apart from that, our commander in Kabul also paid a lot of attention to us. We are civilian businesspeople working there. We didn't have any problems... I do not believe that any Turkish citizens will stay there," he said.
Noting that no Turkish citizen had any hard time there, Gürbüz said: "The system makes the strong people of a strong country being noticed. We are lucky citizens of a strong country."
Flights were suspended at Afghanistan's main international airport in Kabul on Aug. 16, as crowds of people anxiously waited at its gates in hopes of leaving the country.