Middle East

Irish woman trapped in Kabul tells of ‘panic and fear’ all over city

Aoife MacManus from Co Meath hopes to be on flight back to Ireland within 48 hours

Aoife MacManus, who is currently in Kabul and says she is hoping she will be able to leave and return home in the next 48 hours. Photograph: Aoife MacManus/PA Wire

Vivienne Clarke
Tue Aug 17 2021 - 09:41

Irishwoman Aoife MacManus has told of her efforts to get out of Kabul and her belief that she will be on a flight within 24 to 48 hours.

"The message is I am as safe as I can be" and every effort is being made to leave, she told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland.

Ms MacManus, from Ashbourne in Co Meath, has been working in the primary education sector in Afghanistan with an NGO for two years.

There were dramatic scenes on Monday at Kabul Airport as Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport as thousands tried to escape the country.

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Ms MacManus said uncertainty was driving some of the fears. “There is a sense of panic and fear all over the city. It’s the fear of the worst expectations.”

She described the scenes as she and her colleagues left their work compound on Sunday. “We were all crying. Everybody was crying because of the expectations of what things are going to be like.

“All the work we’ve put into education, that it might all be for nothing.”

In recent months they had noticed that the Taliban was taking over more and more provinces, she said.

Despite the Taliban encouraging them to continue the work they were doing, she did not believe them. “This situation at the moment is a charm offensive, but nobody believes it.”

Ms MacManus has been in regular contact with the Irish embassy in Abu Dhabi and between their efforts and those of the organisation for which she works, she is confident that she will be leaving Kabul soon.

The last 36 hours had been hectic, she said. There had been a number of “hairy situations” with the circumstances changing frequently and plans changing rapidly which required moving from place to place.

When a curfew was imposed she and her group had to move again to a location closer to the airport, they passed four checkpoints which were manned by a mix of Taliban and police. There was confusion and they did not seem to know their roles, she said.

Displaced people

While stuck in a convoy, people had to lift a car that had been blocking the route. At that stage, while there was panic, it was not “a dangerous panic”. But within 12 hours the crowd was not so calm and the city was changed with all the checkpoints now manned by the Taliban using police cars.

Ms MacManus said she was with friends “who really know what they’re doing” and they were making “the best of a bad situation.” She was now dealing with the logistics of where to get a flight. “Between my own organisation and the embassy I’m sure I’ll be out soon.”

The work of her organisation in the education sector will continue, she said, even though all international staff have been withdrawn. Covid-19 had taught them how to come up with contingency plans and that they could still provide education even if it was not face to face. “The work can still go on.”

During the interview, Ms MacManus described looking out her window and seeing a pick up truck carrying Taliban fights armed with an AK47. “They are very calm, they’re just in traffic.”

Last night she had seen women walking on the street as there were a lot of displaced people. The women were not wearing burkas, “just the normal hijab.” While in Afghanistan she had always dressed appropriately, with a head scarf, clothing to ankles and wrists. “Nobody should have an issue with how I’m dressed”.

Her message to her family was that she was as safe as she could be and that every effort was being made to get home as soon as possible, she said she would be heading to the airport as soon as it was clear.

“I have every faith that I will be on a plane and having a pint of Guinness in Ashbourne soon.” – Additional reporting from PA

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