Karwar: A Resident of Sadashivgarh Karwar, who went Accept Was looking for work two years ago happy home return, given the chaos and subsequent unrest Afghanistan.
Rajesh Paduwalkari Arrived at Karwar from Goa airport at around 11 am on Tuesday. He was tired and emotional as he recalled his last days in the war-torn country. “I stepped into Kabul airport two years ago hoping to open a new chapter in my life, but what I experienced in the last seven days was hellish. I am one of the lucky ones who returned to India in a short span of time Yes,” Rajesh said.
He worked at Ecolog, a European company that provided catering services for US Army units based in Kabul. “Everything was fine until August 14, when the Taliban was about to capture the city of Kabul. I was working at the army base then. The next day at around 4 pm, the army sirens sounded, and fearing an air strike, we were asked to enter the bunkers. I went to a bunker, which was already overcrowded. I stayed there for more than six hours without sitting,” he said, adding that his company asked him to pack his bags on the same day.
“The US military base is adjacent to the Kabul airport. We were expecting to leave Kabul on the evening of 15th August, but what turned out to be absolutely wrong. More than five thousand Afghans, including women and children, arrived at the airport and occupied the runway. The plane which was supposed to take us to India did not land and the crowd gathered. For two days we were stuck at the airport without a plane. I thought this was the end,” he said.
“However on August 17th, the US military arranged for a plane, and we took off Queue. There too, scary places welcomed us. More than 20,000 Afghans were seen confined to temporary shelters. Forget getting food on time, we even waited in long queues to join the call of nature. To avoid this, we stopped drinking water while we depended on bread crumbs. Indian Embassy officials took care of us.” On Monday night, he reached Karwar via Delhi-Goa route. “The dreams of the Afghans have been shattered, and I feel sorry for them,” he said.
Rajesh Paduwalkari Arrived at Karwar from Goa airport at around 11 am on Tuesday. He was tired and emotional as he recalled his last days in the war-torn country. “I stepped into Kabul airport two years ago hoping to open a new chapter in my life, but what I experienced in the last seven days was hellish. I am one of the lucky ones who returned to India in a short span of time Yes,” Rajesh said.
He worked at Ecolog, a European company that provided catering services for US Army units based in Kabul. “Everything was fine until August 14, when the Taliban was about to capture the city of Kabul. I was working at the army base then. The next day at around 4 pm, the army sirens sounded, and fearing an air strike, we were asked to enter the bunkers. I went to a bunker, which was already overcrowded. I stayed there for more than six hours without sitting,” he said, adding that his company asked him to pack his bags on the same day.
“The US military base is adjacent to the Kabul airport. We were expecting to leave Kabul on the evening of 15th August, but what turned out to be absolutely wrong. More than five thousand Afghans, including women and children, arrived at the airport and occupied the runway. The plane which was supposed to take us to India did not land and the crowd gathered. For two days we were stuck at the airport without a plane. I thought this was the end,” he said.
“However on August 17th, the US military arranged for a plane, and we took off Queue. There too, scary places welcomed us. More than 20,000 Afghans were seen confined to temporary shelters. Forget getting food on time, we even waited in long queues to join the call of nature. To avoid this, we stopped drinking water while we depended on bread crumbs. Indian Embassy officials took care of us.” On Monday night, he reached Karwar via Delhi-Goa route. “The dreams of the Afghans have been shattered, and I feel sorry for them,” he said.
.