HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT

U.S. Embassy Staff Say It’s ‘Better to Die’ Than Face Chaos at Kabul Airport: Report

Staff members were advised to head to the airport in Kabul but were faced with Taliban fighters and a human crush which injured multiple people.

U.S. Embassy staff members in Kabul have been hospitalized attempting to evacuate the city, according to a State Department cable from staffers reported by NBC. The staff, told by superiors to go to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, said they faced Taliban attacks in their attempts to flee. Meanwhile, dozens of people were injured in a crush of bodies at the airport itself, including some staff members. A few others almost had their children separated from them, according to diplomatic cable. “It would be better to die under the Taliban’s bullet,” one staff member reportedly said. Another said, “Happy to die here, but with dignity and pride.” President Joe Biden has promised to aid Afghans who have helped the U.S. government leave the country and so far, about 8,000 people have been able to leave Kabul, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.