Kabul Plane Tragedy: 4 Years Later, Families Forever Scarred 

After the Taliban’s takeover, a tragic evacuation unfolded at Kabul airport

In December 2021, a photograph captured at Kabul airport illustrated a heartbreaking scene: Shafiullah Hotak, an 18‑year‑old Afghan, fell to his death after attempting to cling to a departing US C‑17 aircraft. His mother, Zar Bibi Hotak, still mourns the loss, recalling how her son had dreamt of becoming a doctor before running away the day after the Taliban seized the city.

1. The chaotic escape that followed the Taliban’s seizure

• More than 120,000 people were evacuated by NATO forces on August 16, 2021.
• Thousands of other Afghans left the country in the months that followed.
• The airport venue filled with families clutching every scrap of paper they thought would help them escape.

Shafiullah told his parents he would “stop working… and repay us for everything we had done for him.” With only 50 Afghanis in his pocket, he walked toward the departing plane and was spotted by his mother, who later learned he had died.

2. The stories of other Afghan families who left or perished

Intizar Hotak, Shafiullah’s older brother, recalled the fear that had gripped his family during the Taliban’s first rule (1996‑2001). He said, “With those stories in mind, we were worried. We thought there would be no more work.”

In another village near the airport, 24‑year‑old Fida Mohammad Amir, a dentist, also died after falling from a plane. His father, Payanda Mohammad Ibrahimi, described how he had misled his son about a dental appointment as a pretext to leave the family home.

3. Post‑evacuation fallout and unanswered questions

Zar Bibi Hotak received a notification from relatives who saw a photo of Shafiullah shared on Facebook by witnesses. She said, “I screamed, I ran like a madwoman. Some neighbours were embarrassed, unsure how to react. Another grabbed me and brought me back home.”

In 2022, the US military cleared the plane’s crew of wrongdoing, stating the crew “decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible” due to a deteriorating security situation, and that the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the airport perimeter. However, families remain outraged.

4. Voices of loss and frustration among the survivors

“No one has called us — not the previous government, not the Taliban, not the Americans,” said Zar Bibi Hotak.

Another family’s story is that of Zakir Anwari’s brother, Zaki, a promising football player who died after jumping onto the tarmac. Anwari recounted, “Everyone wondered how Zaki, so smart, took such a risk. But he wasn’t the only one.” He also described the traumatic scene of bodies piled into a pickup and the nightly nightmares that followed.

These narratives underscore the tragedy that unfolded during the chaotic evacuation of Kabul, a sorrow that those who lost loved ones continue to carry forward.