Afghan women, children chase false rumor to Kabul airport

9/2/2023 18:54

        Hundreds of Afghans, including women and children, dashed toward the Kabul airport after a false rumor spread that flights were leaving for Turkey to help rescue earthquake victims.
        
        Videos and photos posted on social media since Wednesday showed dozens of desperate people running on foot in the darkness and cold towards the airport.
        
        The scene harked back to August, 2021, when thousands of desperate people stormed the airport for the airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. Life in Afghanistan has only grown more grim with the onset of winter, limits on women and grinding poverty.
        
        Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said no such flights existed, and he said the situation has returned to normal by Thursday morning. He asked people not to disrupt the public order with "baseless lies."