This is how the Afghan refugees are all set to flee to the US 2:22
Brigadier General Joshua Olson can watch a soccer game played regularly by the Afghan children from his workroom window who call the airbase their home – as per Ramstein airbase, Germany
“This is my family now, at least until they get out of our air patch,” said Olson, the Brigadier and installation commander of the Germany airbase. He also added that “It’s my family, and I have to figure out how to protect them.”
Ramstein is the US’s largest airbase, located outside the US territory. After the Taliban takeover, the place has become an important center for the eviction of Afghanistan.
August 20 was when things started to worsen between the US and Afghanistan. Since then, nearly 106 aircraft have touched down there. Most of them were C-17s, stuffed with hundreds of Afghan evacuees. The air base was fully prepared with tents to accommodate 10,000 refugees, which were filled up swiftly.
Olson stated, “We were at full throttle, and the flow kept coming. I had to close part of the base for the Afghan evacuees,” he further explained, “Because you can’t put them in the elements. It’s 50 degrees [Fahrenheit] outside, and it rains. I can’t get people out there. Especially children. So that was one of the things that adjusted. We brought them in faster than we could get them out. And that’s complicated. “
On Wednesday morning, around 12,000 Afghan evacuees shifted to somewhere, leaving the rest 14,900 at the airbase. The total number of evacuees who came from Afghanistan is 3 times the entire German Municipality population that accommodates the base.
Not just that, the Ramstein airbase was used as a refugee camp when Afghanistan had a deadly attack last week outside the Kabul airport. Right after the attack, 20 injured US members and 10 injured Afghans were brought to the airbase before being transferred to the medical facility.
LRMC Commander Andrew Landers reported on Tuesday that they catered to many individuals who had injuries from explosions, blasts, and several gunshots. Some cases were so terrible that they needed immediate medical intervention during the flight that fled from Kabul.
Landers further stated that the 20 wounded US service members had already been transferred to America’s Walter Reed military facility. All of them were stable and in better condition, and most were communicating in good spirits.
Moreover, LRMC welcomed 12 newborn babies who were born to Afghan families.
The final evacuation aircraft may have taken off from Kabul; however, Ramstein airbase spread out their tents for the expected flights from Kabul. Each tent hosts 40 men, while women and children have been sleeping inside the airbase on cribs and cots. The hosts distribute hot meals three times a day in insulated disposable containers. Portable wash stations and toilets are also being provided with basic sanitation.
Olson reported facing issues like accommodating children and families safely as they now have more than 6000 toddlers.
