Kabul airport resumes normal operations a year after US withdrawal

Kabul International Airport has resumed normal operations, gradually picking up the number of flights as before, after the US troops withdrew from the war-torn country and left the airport in a mess a year ago. 

In 2021, the Kabul airport was almost in a state of devastation, where damaged US helicopter was parked, and broken facilities and equipment were scattered on the airport apron. The US military once said it would dismantle a large number of aircraft, military vehicles and advanced rocket defense systems left at the Kabul airport, before it completed the evacuation task. 

"The US did nothing good during its 20 years of stay in Afghanistan. What they (US troops) did were nothing but invasion and destruction, while leading people to addiction to drugs and unrealistic illusions," said Jawad, a resident. 

During the evacuation in 2021, thousands of Afghans flooded to and packed the airport, trying to leave the country in face of uncertainties. However, the brutal and forced takeoff of the US aircraft caused at least five people to died after they fell on the apron at the airport. However, in June, the US military declared that the crew of the very aircraft had no mistakes. 

"For 20 years, the US did not bring us any help but miseries. And the problems at present are caused by the US,"said Ayar, another resident. 

"A year ago, the airport was turned into a mess by the US troops. The US troops deployed here destroyed everything. The terminal building and facilities of security inspection equipment that you could see now were damaged. No airplanes [parked at the area] around us or the military base remained intact," said Zafar Khan Atif, director of the information office at the Kabul airport. 

Now, everything has been back to normal at the airport, while damaged facilities have been mostly repaired. On Sunday, Acting Defense Minister of the Afghan interim government Mullah Yaqoob said more than 60 damaged helicopters have been repaired and returned to service over the past year. 

With an increase in the number of domestic and international flights, the Kabul civil aviation market is regaining its vitality. 

"The number of flights increases each day. There're 18 to 25 domestic and international flights traveling to and from Dubai, Tأ¼rkiye and Pakistan. And we're also considering resuming direct flights to countries including Russia," said Atif. 

"Now the flights are the same as before. There is no difference. The system [at the airport] is well operated, with no delayed flights. And the safety is guaranteed as well," said Hayat, a passenger. 

"I'm quite satisfied that there's no problem at the airport," said Samiullah, another passenger. 

During the past two decades, the US-led military operations in Afghanistan caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, and turned 11 million people into refugees, leaving Afghanistan in desperate need of stability and rehabilitation.

(Source: Reuters) 

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