Afghan mothers try to “save their babies” from Taliban at Kabul airport

The details of this story may be upsetting for some readers. 

"By the end of the night there wasn’t one man among us who was not crying."

British soldiers have told of Afghan mothers' desperate attempts to save their children from the Taliban at Kabul airport. Thousands of people have gathered just outside the capital's Hamid Karzai International Airport in an attempt to flee the country over the past few days. Many women have spoken of the palpable fear present in Afghanistan as the Taliban continued to take major cities. Under their rule previous, women and girls were not permitted to travel unless in the company of a male relative. They also could not work or attend education centres. British soldiers have since told of troubling scenes at the airport, as countless men and women desperately seek safety.

A senior soldier told Sky News: "It was terrible, women were throwing their babies over the razor wire, asking the soldiers to take them, some got caught in the wire.

"I’m worried for my men, I’m counselling some, everyone cried last night.:

Another told the Independent: "The mothers were desperate, they were getting beaten by the Taliban. They shouted, 'save my baby' and threw the babies at us. It was awful what happened.

"By the end of the night there wasn’t one man among us who was not crying."

The first plane carrying Afghan refugees landed in England on Tuesday night. The UK has committed to taking 20,000 refugees over five years under a new resettlement plan, focusing on the safety of women and girls. Ireland has committed to taking at least 150 refugees who are due to arrive in the coming days, however a group of aid organisations have called on the government to take at least 1,000 people fleeing from Afghanistan. A letter to the Taoiseach reads: “We welcome the Government’s statements so far and they are in contrast to other European Union Government’s statements which have been much less positive but we do think additional concrete action is needed.” You can find a list of resources and ways to help women and children in Afghanistan here.