Human remains found in landing gear of military flight from Kabul
Warning: graphic depictions
Washington: The US Air Force said that it was investigating the circumstances surrounding human remains that were found in the wheel well of one of its C-17s that flew out of Kabul amid the chaos of the Taliban taking over the Afghan capital.
Images circulated on social media earlier this week of Afghans desperate to leave Kabul rushing toward a C-17 and clinging to its side.
Hundreds of people run alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport plane as it departs in Kabul.Credit:AP
A separate video showed what appeared to be two people falling from a military plane as it flew out of Kabul.
In a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), the Air Force said that a C-17 aircraft landed at Kabul’s airport on Monday and was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians.
“Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible,†the statement said.
It added that the Air Force’s office of Special Investigation was reviewing information about the aircraft and the “loss of civilian lives- to include video documentation and the source of social media postsâ€.
Chaos on the runaway as a US Air Force C-17 transport plane at Kabul airport on Monday.Credit:AP
Video of the episode of the people falling from the plane, recorded by the Afghan news media, has circulated around the world.
“We are all contending with a human cost to these developments,†Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said at a briefing Tuesday.
“The images from the past couple of days at the airport have been heartbreaking,†said Sullivan, the first Cabinet-level administration official to take questions from reporters since the Taliban took control of Kabul on Sunday.
Sullivan said US officials were engaged in an “hour by hour†process of holding the Taliban to their commitment to allow safe passage for civilians wishing to leave the country.
Asked whether the Biden administration recognises the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, Sullivan said it was too soon to say and that the Taliban’s record of adhering to international human rights standards “has not been good.â€
Reuters, wires
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