(Trigger Warning: This article contains photographs and videos that might be distressing)
As the Taliban took over Afghanistan, every person in the country scrambled to look for a safe refuge away from their terrorising regime. This has resulted in a lot of distressing visuals making their way to social media where desperate Afghanis are trying to flee home away from the destructive rule of the Taliban.
Right from chaos on airports to people literally falling from the sky, there is nothing that the Afghanis haven't been through. Here are 10 distressing visuals from Afghanistan that depict its fall and the future that lies ahead for the country.
1. Two People Fall To Their Deaths After Tying Themselves to Aircrafts
Among one of the most distressing visuals that came from the ground was that of two people tying themselves to an aircraft leaving from the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul. As the plane took off, the video showed the people falling to their deaths.
2. Crowds at Kabul Airport
As many people tried to evacuate the country, visuals of people are seen where they are crowding the airports to get away. One such scene is from a Kabul airport where Afghanis are running behind a US Air Force plane as it is taking off.
3. More People Trying to Escape
In another visual, it is seen how people are climbing the stairs and trying to make it to a flight at the Kabul airport.
4. Video of Afghan Girl Talking About the Invasion
An Afghan girl is seen talking about her future in Afghanistan, and how the lives of many women have been ruined disproportionately. In the 45-second video, she is seen crying and talking about how the women's problems in the country don't count.
"We'll die slowly in history," she says.
Watch the video here:
5. Beauty Salons Covering Up Women's Pictures
Amid fears of the Taliban causing possible harm to salons with displays of women on their entrance, a lot of owners have painted over these pictures.
6. Taliban Fighters Taking Over the Presidential Palace at Kabul
After President Ashraf Ghani escaped the country, the Taliban made its way to the Presidential Palace at Kabul, almost perfectly depicting the shift in power.
7. US Soldier Pointing Gun at Afghan Man
As thousands of people tried to get out of the country, the picture of a US soldier pointing his gun towards a civilian is quite shocking, since it depicts the state of war and peril the country is currently in.
8. Children Showing Up to Empty Schools
A few children decided to show up to school even though it was shut. The teachers there bid farewell to female students who would not be permitted to attend anymore under the Taliban's rule. The heartbreaking picture shows what lies ahead for women and their future in the country.
9. People Climb on Top of Plane
In one of many attempts to leave the country, here is another picture of people waiting at the Kabul airport to be rescued by climbing on top of a plane.
10. First Women's Protest
The video of four women protesting in the streets of Taliban recently went viral on social media. The women are seen holding placards and speaking up against the Taliban takeover. The women have garnered praise for their courage, but it is also saddening to see the things they have to resort to in order to avail their basic rights.
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