afghanistan US troops kabul airport children

An Afghan child sleeps on the cargo floor of a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, kept warm by the uniform of the C-17 loadmaster, during an evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, on 15 August 2021. Image:
US Air Force

US troops capture young hearts amid deadly Afghan withdrawal [photos]

The US military has released heartwarming pictures of US troops caring for children in Afghanistan amid the takeover by the Taliban.

afghanistan US troops kabul airport children

An Afghan child sleeps on the cargo floor of a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, kept warm by the uniform of the C-17 loadmaster, during an evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, on 15 August 2021. Image:
US Air Force

Sergeant Isaiah Campbell of the US Military released several pictures of the US troops caring for and comforting children in Afghanistan amid the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

US TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN

As the Taliban reached Kabul on 15 August thousands of people rushed to the airport in an attempt to exit the country. The number of people attempting to exit the country at once caused chaos at the airport and as many people as possible were allowed to board the plane with some clinging to the aircraft after takeoff and falling to their deaths.

The United States along with their international partners are conducting an evacuating operation at the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul where thousands of people are seeking refuge amid the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Taliban is known as Deobandi Islamist religious-political movement and military organisation regarded as terrorists.

The efforts to evacuate people on military aircraft and other flights have come with all sorts of challenges both inside and outside the airport. The US military has decided to capture the life-threatening situation through a different lens and released several photos of US troops nurturing and caring for the children of Afghan families who are seeking refuge.

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PHOTOS OF US TROOPS CARING FOR CHILDREN

Although the situation is deeply saddening, the pictures of the soldiers caring for the children are heartwarming. Take a look.

Image: US Marine Corps via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.
Image: US Marine Corps via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.
Image: US Marine Corps via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.
Image: US Marine Corps via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.
Image via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.
Image via Sgt Isaiah Campbell.

The British government has also been assisting the people of Afghanistan seek refuge, including a pair of twins named Asna and Sana who are set to start a new life with their translator father, mother and brother in Southern England, along with 130 other people who were placed on an RAF aircraft and evacuated.

This was also bittersweet as a man at the airport pointed out two other children, aged five and three who were left behind by their parents in the rush to board flights to Britain.

“Afghan twins Asna and Sana, both five, were evacuated from Afghanistan to the UK with their father Nooragha Hashimi,” wrote journalist Frank Walusimbi.

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