Afghanistan crisis: Ex-UK marine evacuates wife on empty plane as thousands struggle to escape Taliban

Photo courtesy: Twitter

KABUL: A nearly empty plane carrying wife of former UK Royal Marine commando took off from Afghanistan's Kabul as thousands of people, with one bag each, were waiting at the airport, to escape from the 'torture' of Taliban. She subsequently boarded a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft as she made her way to her native Norway. She was flown in what appeared to be an almost empty plane, while others waited in complete chaos to leave the country. 

A former Royal Marine commando, Paul 'Pen' Farthing explained to Sky News his journey to Kabul airport so that he could help his wife Kaisa evacuate the war-torn country. Farthing expressed despair that some planes are not even fully loaded with passengers due to the continuing chaos at the airport. 

Aircraft are taking off from the airport every hour "regardless of whether they're full or not...People can't get in, they cannot get into the airport," Sky News quoted him as saying.

"We are going to leave people behind, that is an absolute given...This is an absolute screw-up of an evacuation. We are going to be watching some absolutely horrific scenes."

He expressed anger at the Western governments and despaired at the "terrifying, absolutely terrifying" situation in Kabul.

Terrified that the new de facto rulers would commit such abuses, thousands have raced to Kabul's airport desperate to flee following the Taliban's stunning blitz through the country. Others have taken to the streets to protest the takeover acts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

The Taliban have sought to project moderation and have pledged to restore security and forgive those who fought them in the 20 years since a U.S.-led invasion. Ahead of Friday prayers, leaders urged to imams to use sermons to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter 'negative propaganda' about them.

But many Afghans are skeptical, and the Amnesty report provided more evidence that undercut the Taliban's claims they have changed.

The rights group said that its researchers spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province who recounted how the Taliban killed nine Hazara men in the village of Mundarakht on July 4-6. It said six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death.

The brutality of the killings was 'a reminder of the Taliban's past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring," said Agnes Callamard, the head of Amnesty International.

The group warned that many more killings may gone unreported because the Taliban have cut cellphone services in many areas they've captured to prevent images from there from being published.