Another 750 airlifted from Kabul as race to beat deadline tightens
Australia has evacuated another 750 people from chaos in Afghanistan as the United States holds firm on its withdrawal deadline.
Four more flights departed Kabul airport overnight, taking the total number of people rescued as part of Australiaās efforts to 2400.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the situation was deteriorating by the hour.
āItās been a tremendous effort from those people on the ground,ā she told 4BC radio on Wednesday.
āItās in excess of what weād ever thought we would manage in a week.ā
Australians, Afghan visa holders and other people from allied nations were extracted in the latest round of flights.
A third flight of evacuees has landed in Adelaide, taking the total brought from Dubai to Australia after being airlifted out of Kabul to 419.
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Andrews said Australia would continue to lift people out of Kabul for as long as possible.
āThe situation there is absolutely diabolical so we will do what we can for as long as we can,ā she said.
A migration lawyer and former army officer has warned that Afghans with Australian visas could die if electronic documents continue to be knocked back.
Glenn Kolomeitz, who served in Afghanistan, represents hundreds of Afghans entitled to protection in Australia.
He says people on the ground are being turned away after perilous trips to Kabulās airport because they donāt have hard copy visas.
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āThat is going to cost lives,ā Kolomeitz told ABC radio.
āThese people have made it to the gate, theyāre doing everything theyāre being asked to do and theyāre being turned away at these chaotic gates.ā
He said a breakdown in communications within the Department of Foreign Affairs was causing the problem.
āGetting turned away at that critical juncture is just heartbreaking,ā the former officer said.
āOne of our families got to one of the gates and they were fired at by Taliban.ā
Kolomeitz said the mission was entering a critical juncture and urged Defence chief Angus Campbell to order soldiers to let more people through.
āItās frustrating. This is insane,ā he said.
But he said hundreds of people had been evacuated including interpreters, security guards and others who helped Australian forces.
āWe do have some good news stories.ā
The home affairs minister said Australia would continue to offer people refuge, after the rescue operation ended, through 3000 humanitarian places.
But she conceded no one knew when commercial flights would resume from the Taliban-controlled nation.
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