DEATH DIVE
Kabul airport evac planes drop flares & do nose dive landings as terrorists may try shoot one down amid Taliban chaos
MILITARY planes making evacuation runs into Kabul are dropping flares and carrying out nose dive combat landings as its feared terrorists may try to shoot one down.
Flights continue the desperate air lift to try rescue as many people as possible from the airport as thousands flee the Taliban after they seized power in Afghanistan.
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The dangerous mission however has now taken on a new terrifying element as the aircraft are now having to face the threat of a potential missile attack as they take off from Kabul.
US military planes are now doing rapid, diving combat landings at the airport surrounded by Taliban fighters to try and beat the threat of a missile attack.
And video showed a French military transport plane yesterday deploying flares, which are designed to confuse heat seeking technology that allows the weapons to look on.
Taliban forces are not believed to attempt to shoot one of the aircraft down - with such an action potentially sparking further intervention from the West.
US military officials have however said they fear a possible attack by ISIS-linked groups who are reported to be lurking in and around Kabul as they seek to take advantage of the carnage.
It is feared the terrorists may use stolen heat seeking missiles to try and bring down the refugee planes which are carrying hundreds of men, women and children.
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Security warnings have been issued by the US embassy as officials described the threat from ISIS as "significant" - urging their citizens not to travel to the airport without official instructions.
"There is a strong possibility ISIS-K is trying to carry off an attack at the airport," a US official told .
ISIS militants have been fighting the Taliban for the last six years as they attempt to carve out their own piece of Afghanistan following the fall of their "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq.
And it has been reported there is a splinter cell already operating in Kabul, but there have so far been no reports of violence.
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Kabul airport remains the one escape route for the thousands of families and workers who want to escape from the ruthless rule of the Taliban.
At least seven people - including a toddler - were killed yesterday in a horrific crush outside the compound as refugees stand unprovisioned and sweltering in heat of up to 31C.
US soldiers and British paratroopers are attempting to keep order amid the chaos.
Footage earlier today appeared to show US troops supported by armoured trucks pushing back a large crowd who appeared to have breached the airport's perimeter.
But vicious Taliban militants are also roaming near the airport - with videos showing them firing towards cowering families and beating people with sticks.
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NATO have said they believe at least 20 people have been killed during the Kabul air lift since it begun on Monday.
The chaotic scenes have been compared to the escape from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War as the West tries to evacuate its citizens, and offer shelter to Afghan refugees.
Taliban officials however have blamed the US for the carnage - saying "America, with all its power and facilities... has failed to bring order to the airport".
Sky News reporter Stuart Ramsay yesterday also described the "utterly horrendous scenes" and "absolute pandemonium" at the airport as he witnesses people "crushed to death".
British paratroopers are desperately trying to manage to chaos at the airport amid fears the evacuation mission could collapse in days - with the West in a race against time to evacuate its citizens and refugees.
Images released by the Ministry of Defence show a packed RAF plane whose passengers included citizens from Afghanistan eligible to settle in Britain as four women were crushed to death in chaotic scenes to escape.
No nation will be able to get everyone out
Ben Wallace
But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said "no nation will be able to get everyone out" of Afghanistan as he predicted growing crowds at Kabul airport as "desperate people" race to escape the Taliban.
Yet the Cabinet minister looked to assure those who are almost certain to be left behind that the UK will continue to work to repatriate them even once troops are home.
It comes as Taliban death squads are reportedly pulling people from their homes and executing them as they step up the hunt for anyone who helped the US and UK.
Nearly 4,000 people had been evacuated by Britain from Afghanistan since August 13.
Sky News said it had spoken to British troops at the airport who, having served in Afghanistan previously, said the queues, crushing and desperation of people to get out of the country were the worst scenes they had witnessed during their service.
Sir Laurie Bristow, Britain’s ambassador in Afghanistan, said: "The scale of this effort is enormous and is without a doubt the biggest international challenge I have worked on as a diplomat.
'LIVES AT STAKE'
"Lives are at stake and I am incredibly proud of the tenacious efforts of my team during these challenging times, with military and civilian staff working together to successfully evacuate thousands of people in the last week.
"We will continue to work tirelessly to get British nationals, Afghan staff and others at risk out of the country as quickly as possible as we also support Afghanistan's long-term future."
US President Joe Biden signalled he wanted the evacuations completed by the end of the month — a move that would likely force Britain to wrap up its operation at the same time.
"Officials said they were continuing to "work closely" with US military partners to "ensure the security and viability of the evacuation mission in Kabul".
But there are reports of tension between Washington and London, with claims the UK Government was kept in the dark about the timetable for the US withdrawal of its armed forces.
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Biden has been criticsed from all corners over his botched handling of the US pull back which is credited with handing Afghanistan back to the Taliban.
Tony Blair, who was Prime Minister when Britain joined the US invasion back in 2001, branded the 78-year-old Democrat an "imbecile".
Mr Blair said: “It is so obvious the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics.
"We didn’t need to do it. We chose to do it.
“We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even ten years ago.”
Further British troops are being held "at readiness in the region and the UK" to move to Afghanistan "at speed" if required, the MoD said.
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The MoD is looking at establishing hubs in countries such as Pakistan and Turkey.
In a briefing on Saturday, the US Department of Defense said 17,000 people have been flown out of the airport, including some 2,500 US citizens.
Ministry of Defence releases video of people boarding aircraft for evacuation from Kabul
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