Many were being turned back before they even reached Kabul international airport. AFP
Many were being turned back before they even reached Kabul international airport. AFP
Many were being turned back before they even reached Kabul international airport. AFP
Many were being turned back before they even reached Kabul international airport. AFP

Kabul airport chaos after rumours of flights to Turkey for quake relief volunteers


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Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Thousands of men hurried towards Kabul’s international airport on Wednesday evening after a rumour spread that Turkey’s government were organising flights for volunteers to help with earthquake relief.

By 8pm the main road leading to the airport was blocked with vehicles and pedestrians. Taliban security forces fired into the air to disperse the crowds, witnesses told The National.

“Half of Kabul was on their way to the airport,” said Salahuddin, 19, high school graduate who tried to reach the airport with his father, a government employee.

They set off at about 6pm after hearing the rumour, but found themselves stuck at a roundabout near the site of the former US embassy for more than an hour.

Salahuddin said security forces were hitting cars with batons and pushing back pedestrians who were heading for the airport.

Nangyalai, 27, says he too had been convinced to head to the airport by a friend who called at 7pm from outside his home in eastern Kabul.

“My friend called and said, ‘Have you heard, they’re sending people to Turkey? Hurry, let’s go to the airport'.”

Nangyalai said he was hesitant and asked his friend how it was possible to get on a plane to Turkey without any documents or permission but his friend managed to convince him and within minutes they were on the street looking for a taxi to take five of them on the 35-minute journey to the airport.

“Car after car passed but no one stopped. When we finally found one, he was scared to the go to the airport but we said we’d pay extra.”

Nangyalai said the crowds grew larger and the traffic jams increased as they approached the road to the airport entrance.

“Eventually we had to walk but we could hear the aerial fire as we got closer and closer to the airport.”

People were running away from the gunfire then rushing back towards the airport, over and over again
Nangyalai,
Kabul resident

He said the crowd grew larger as they got nearer. “People were running away from the gunfire then rushing back towards the airport, over and over again.

“We waited for half an hour, constantly trying to move up closer and enter the airport but we saw there was no way. The crowds were too big, there were shots ringing out and eventually we just turned back to go home.”

By 11pm, Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesman, released a video urging Afghans not to believe the rumours because they would be turned back before reaching the airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majid also warned people to stay away.

“Some people have spread rumours that undocumented people are being sent to Turkey from Kabul airport, or Turkish planes have arrived and undocumented people are being brought back to that country,” he wrote on Twitter. "These rumours have no truth. Do not enter the airport and do not disturb public order."

By Thursday morning, Facebook users in the country said their feeds were full of people posting old pictures from flights and claiming to have made it to Turkey.

“Friends, I’ve gone to Turkey,” said the caption of one photo showing a man wearing a Covid mask aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.

"Who else is going to Turkey by air?" read the caption of another photo showing a young woman pointing to a daytime sky from a plane window.

The confusion, crowds and aerial fire were reminiscent of the scenes outside the airport in August 2021 as tens of thousands of people sought to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control.

For Salahuddin, the reported recruitment of volunteers offered a second chance to reach Turkey after what he saw as a missed opportunity to do so on the evening of August 15, 2021.

“My friends called me that night saying ‘Hurry, come to the airport’, but my father just laughed at me and now those boys are in Europe and the United States," he said.

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
New schools in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT

Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')

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SERIE A FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)

Saturday

Brescia v Torino (6pm)

Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)

Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)

Sunday

Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)

Udinese v SPAL (6pm)

Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)

Lazio v Lecce (6pm)

Parma v Roma (9pm)

Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)

 

Asia Cup Qualifier

Final
UAE v Hong Kong

TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Australia (15-1): Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; David Pocock, Michael Hooper (capt), Lukhan Tui; Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson.

Replacements: Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Jack Maddocks.

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The squad traveling to Brazil:

Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 285bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: TBA

On sale: Q2, 2020

Updated: February 09, 2023, 11:41 AM`