So much for Biden's tough talk: Australian citizen is beaten by Taliban while trying to reach evacuation flight as Islamists IGNORE US president's demand to let civilians get to Kabul airport - with just hours left for them to flee
Daily Mail ^ | | UPDATED: 09:13 EDT, 25 August 2021 | By CHRIS PLEASANCE
Posted on 8/25/2021, 9:23:10 AM by Hojczyk
Bloodied and beaten by the Taliban - this was the fate of one man claiming to be an Australian citizen as he tried to reach Kabul airport today as the Islamists defied Joe Biden's demand to let evacuation flights continue unimpeded with just hours left to get civilians out of the country.
The man, whose identity is unknown, was attacked after the Taliban vowed to stop people reaching the airport despite Biden demanding that they 'allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out and no disruptions to our operations' in return for US troops withdrawing from the country by August 31.
Video shows the man at what appears to be a Taliban checkpoint with blood running down his face and dripping on to his pink polo shirt, saying in accented English: 'They hit me... I am an Australian citizen.'
Lord David Richards, former chief of UK defence staff, said he is 'pretty certain' that British flights will have to stop on Friday to allow enough time for 1,000 troops to fully withdraw by August 31, the date Joe Biden committed to yesterday under threats from the Taliban.
France says it is 'very probable' that its flights will stop tomorrow, while Poland said it has already stopped flights due to the 'security situation' at the airport. Hungary will also stop flights soon.
Fears are now growing that civilians could rush the runway and trigger a deadly stampede in a repeat of the horror scenes from last week, or else opportunistic terror groups such as ISIS could attack packed crowds - fears that will only grow as troop numbers dwindle.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...