‘The Taliban were going to kill me’: Terrified evacuees start their new lives in the ‘hopeful zone’

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2021

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It’s calmer outside the camp.

The people, thousands of them, know that the processing that might get them on a flight to the UK can’t happen if there is a return to the chaos of the past few days.

In the morning sun, people call to us as we walk, pleading for a pair of eyes to glance at their applications, passports, visa, letters of recommendation, and – more importantly – to listen to their stories.

We stop often and give advice but in reality there is little or nothing we can do.

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All the time we are shuffled to the side as convoys of people carriers, led by armoured cars, depart the camp gates, turn right, and head towards the airport, winding their way through crowds of would-be evacuees and hundreds of soldiers.

The people stare in envy.

Those cars are full of the people who have been designated fit to fly.

The convoys are the reason for the chaos, the despair and the deaths that have engulfed this tiny part of Kabul.

Nobody but the people who are on board know what the process is like.

So we asked to see the journey.

The people have been sleeping rough for days. When their number is called they stand, brush away the dirt and pick up a single bag – that is all they are allowed.

They are loaded up and begin, arguably, the most important drive they will ever take.

They pass through the heavily-guarded gates of the compound, where their status has been checked and confirmed, back into the territory of the Taliban and the wilderness of the thousands waiting for news.

To the right there’s a sewage canal where the Americans are in charge, a holding pen for people who might have the right paperwork.

This isn’t the hopeless line, it’s the hopeful zone, but it’s utterly awful.

The convoy moves through the soldiers of multiple countries looking for people with a right to enter – and then beyond – away from the queues.

We passed those who have been successful but are still waiting for a flight, temporarily living in what looked like refugee camps.

Suddenly it’s left behind.

Inside the wire we watched as the Royal Air Force started processing evacuees before boarding, with airport-style bag checks and security.

All the UK forces are trying to make it feel like an ordinary flight, conscious how much trauma every single person has endured.

Squadron leader Di Bird, in charge of all movements, is a tough, no-nonsense, commander.

Meeting her for just a few minutes, it was clear to me that she would have zero tolerance for nonsense.

She was checking that the men and women in her command were following explicit orders.

The order was to not wear body armour, to greet the evacuees cordially and to process them quickly.

Behind her tough forces exterior, her sentiment was warm and she was kind to the evacuees.

“This isn’t about getting masses of people, herding them together and getting on to planes – everything is about making sure we remember these our are friends, these are people that have worked with us for many years and we treat them that way,” she told me.

“So it’s about being dressed like this as much as possible [without body armour], it’s about showing them that we’re not scared, it’s about making sure that children are fed, that babies are looked after, that anything we do to reduce their stress levels and show them that they’re safe is at the heart of everything we do here.”

Amongst the evacuees I met five-year-old twins Asna and Sana in their party dresses. They were with their mum and dad and younger brother – the first twins spotted by the RAF in this airlift.

This is the start of their new life, although everything is clearly very strange, especially being checked with a handheld metal detector while they spun around.

Their father Nooragha Hashimi was a UK military translator in Helmand, working with the Royal Engineers.

This flight will save his and his family’s life for certain, but getting to this point had been terrifying.

I asked him if he thought he was at risk: “Yes – they [the Taliban] were gonna kill me.

“It was like everybody was scared [about] what they’re going to do, and the first time they’re saying we’re gonna do nothing [to] anybody, but nobody knows if it will be the same as 1996.”

The runway and apron are now full flow, this evacuation effort has to be because even though thousands have been moved, more need to be processed.

Behind the enormous transporter planes, rows of people wait to board, buffeted by the backwash of jet engines and propellers.

Lines of people are brought through and positioned, awaiting instructions from the loaders.

This is a huge operation but it’s still probably not enough – there simply may not be enough time.

We watched on as the latest British flight boarded, the passengers, including the twins, were guided up the loading ramps.

They were seated along the sides before being directed into rows and secured for the flight using cargo straps – this is only the second time in the RAF’s history they’ve had to do this. The last time was in South Sudan.

As we waved goodbye to Asna, Sana and their family on board, their dad told me they had no plans yet, other than to move to southern England where they believe the weather is better.

After what has happened to their lives in a week, just worrying about the weather has to feel great.

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At least 12 killed after suicide bombing in Pakistan

Published

11 hours ago

November 11, 2025

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At least 12 killed after suicide bombing in Pakistan

At least 12 people have been killed in a suicide bombing outside the gates of a court in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, the country’s interior minister has said.

At least 27 other people were also wounded after the bomber detonated his explosives next to a police car.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attacker tried to “enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle”.

Mr Naqvi added that authorities are “looking into all aspects” of the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but authorities have recently struggled with a resurgent Pakistani Taliban.

The explosion, which was heard from miles away, occurred at a busy time of day when the area outside the court is typically crowded with hundreds of visitors attending hearings.

More than a dozen badly wounded people were screaming for help as ambulances rushed to the scene.

“People started running in all directions,” said Mohammad Afzal, who claimed he was at the court when he heard the blast.

Pakistani security forces earlier said they foiled an attempt by militants to take cadets hostage at an army-run college overnight, when a suicide car bomber and five other attackers targeted the facility in a northwestern province.

The authorities blamed the Pakistani Taliban, which is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, but the group denied involvement in that attack on Monday evening.

The assault began when a bomber attempted to storm the cadet college in Wana, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.

The area had, until recent years, served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban, al Qaeda and other foreign militants.

According to local police chief Alamgir Mahsud, two of the militants were quickly killed by troops while three others managed to enter the compound before being cornered in an administrative block.

The army’s commandos were among the forces conducting a clearance operation, and an intermittent exchange of fire went on into Tuesday, Mr Mahsud said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced both attacks and said those responsible must be brought to justice swiftly.

“We will ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and held accountable,” he said.

Mr Sharif described attacks on unarmed civilians as “reprehensible”, adding: “We will not allow the blood of innocent Pakistanis to go to waste.”

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At least eight people killed in car explosion in New Delhi, police say

Published

1 day ago

November 10, 2025

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At least eight people killed in car explosion in New Delhi, police say

At least eight people have been killed and at least 19 others injured after a car exploded in New Delhi, say Indian police.

The blast, which triggered a fire that damaged several vehicles parked nearby, happened at the gates of the metro station at the Red Fort, a former Mughal palace and a busy tourist spot.

New Delhi’s international airport, metro stations and government buildings were put on a high security alert after the explosion, the government said. The cause of the explosion is being investigated.

The city’s police commissioner, Satish Golcha, said it happened a few minutes before 7pm.

“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion,
nearby vehicles were also damaged,” he told reporters.

One resident, who did not give a name, told NDTV: “We heard a big sound, our windows shook.”

Sanjay Tyagi, a Delhi police spokesman, said they were still investigating the cause, while the fire service reported that at least six vehicles and three autorickshaws had caught fire.

Images show the burnt-out remnants of several cars and forensic officers at the scene.

Home minister Amit Shah told local media that a Hyundai i20 car exploded near a traffic signal close to the Red Fort. He said CCTV footage from cameras in the area will form part of the investigation.

“We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,” Shah said. “All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public.”

The investigation is being conducted by the National Investigation Agency, India’s federal terror investigating agency, and other agencies.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast.

He posted on X: “May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities.

“Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials.”

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Madagascar’s new president Michael Randrianirina denies coup after taking office following Gen Z uprising

Published

2 days ago

November 10, 2025

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Madagascar's new president Michael Randrianirina denies coup after taking office following Gen Z uprising

A Gen Z uprising has pushed Madagascar’s former leader Andry Rajoelina, not only out of office but out of the country.

In his place is Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who was sworn in as president of the island nation last month after his military unit joined the protesters.

Sky News’ Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir sits down with the new leader.

The first question I ask Colonel Randrianirina, as he sits in an ornate mahogany chair in his military fatigues, is how it feels to be in the palace as president.

He sighs and sinks deeper into the chair. He looks humbled and struggles to find the words.

“How do I put it?” he says. “I am happy and it is also a great honour to have come to this palace to be able to help and support the Malagasy people in deep poverty.”

As commander of an elite non-combatant military unit, Corps d’Administration des Personnels et des Services de l’Armée de Terre (CAPSAT), the colonel rode a wave of Gen Z protests to the palace. On 11 October, he shared a video on social media instructing officers to disobey shoot-to-kill orders and support the movement.

At least 22 protesters have been killed and more than 100 injured after denouncing the power cuts and water shortages that have come to signify government corruption in the impoverished island nation.

Why did he share the pivotal video?

He says: “I am a military officer but I am also part of the people and I will return to the people. When you feel sorry for what the people are suffering from… they have been poor for so long and wealth has been looted – but you still shoot them and kill them. That was not why I entered the military of Madagascar, to kill people.”

Soon after his speech, soldiers allowed the young protesters rejecting then president Andry Rajoelina to occupy Place du 13 Mai Square on Independence Avenue in the heart of Antananarivo, the island nation’s capital.

Colonel Randrianirina paraded through a crowd and addressed them from the hatch of an armoured vehicle. “The president of the nation has to leave… If that does not happen,” he threatened, “we will see”.

After Mr Rajoelina fled Madagascar on 13 October, the National Assembly voted to impeach him for “desertion of duty”. Three days later, Colonel Randrianirina stood in fatigues in front of the palace. With officers by his side, he announced their seizure of power and the dissolution of the constitution and all government institutions outside of the National Assembly.

Shortly after, the African Union suspended Madagascar‘s membership on account of the military takeover.

In the palace as president, he insists that this is not a military coup.

“It is support for the people and the country and for us to not be prone to civil war – between the people – between the military officers and your needs, so you adjust helping to support the people to avoid this.

“We were not conducting any coup at all, it was the president [Rajoelina] himself who decided to leave the country.”

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemned “the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar” and called for “the return to constitutional order and the rule of law,” when reports of a military takeover first circulated on 16 October. The day we met the new president, he had just been congratulated by France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

Colonel Randrianirina is promising elections in 18 to 24 months, after what he calls a “refoundation and recovery” of the country – a process he admits might take a long time.

Observers are concerned that elections will be postponed and the new president will become another strongman, but Gen Z organisers are holding on to faith that this hard-earned outcome is worth it.

‘We were living under a dictatorship’

I asked a group of five young organisers if they have concerns that the president will become another dictator, just like previous Malagasy rulers who ascended to power off the back of a popular uprising. Ousted president Mr Rajoelina came into power after protests in 2009 that also ended in a CAPSAT-supported coup.

University student Ratsirarisoa Nomena told us: “The new president is not a dictator… he is listening to the people and he is validated by the people.

“We as students also validated him – he is not a dictator because the motivation of the army is from the people for the people.

“We were living under dictatorship. There was no freedom of expression and it was very hard to fight for that in Madagascar. We had to face being injured and losing our lives and the lives of our fellow students. Malagasy citizens who fought with us lost their lives too. This is what we went through – to me, we are halfway to victory.”

Their president is aware of their support and does not credit Gen Z alone for his place in the palace.

“Generation Z are part of the reason [I am here] but the full Malagasy people really wanted change at the time we are speaking,” Mr Randrianirina told me. “The Malagasy people have been suffering for so long and deprived of fundamental rights – no access to water supply and electricity, facing insecurity.

“Malagasy people, including the Gen Z, government officials and trade unions really wanted change so it is the whole Malagasy people that supported me to this point.”

Across Africa, young people are showing their disapproval of the old guard.

Gen Z protesters have made their mark in Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Morocco, Mozambique and Nigeria in 2025 alone – denouncing disputed elections and the corruption impacting their futures.

Is the Gen Z coup of Madagascar a warning for old leaders on a young continent?

“I don’t know what to say about the other countries, but I know my own country,” Mr Randrianirina says.

“If tomorrow the people of Madagascar hate me, then I will leave this palace.”