Babak Taghvaee - Μπάπακ Τακβαίε - بابک تقوایی Profile picture
Author, Historian, Journalist. Former Freelance Contributor & Commentator of @BBC & @RFERL. Find my articles in @AFMonthly, @IsraelHayomHeb & @PtisiMagazine now

Aug 16, 2021, 26 tweets

#BREAKING: Since morning, 7 C-17As of #USAF have been involved in evacuation of #US citizens & troops as well as #Afghan civilians from #Kabul, #Afghanistan. They are 00-0176, 02-1108, 02-1109, 04-4132, 04-4133, 08-8190, 10-0215. Each airplane is now evacuating 500 to 800 people!

#BREAKING:The busy airbridge between #UAE & #Afghanistan now.02-1109, a C-17A of #USAF's 62nd Airlift Wing with 500 to 800 Afghans on-board is about to land in Al-Dhafra. Next to that a #US State Department Dash-8 is coming from #Kabul while a #USAF's B-52H bomber is going there.

A C-17A heavy transport aircraft of #RoyalAirForce with ZZ171 serial number is now headed toward #Kabul, #Afghanistan to evacuate #British citizens. If I don't mistake, that's fifth or sixth of such a flight. That means, #RAF C-17s are also evacuating Afghan nationals.

Interesting to see that, the E-3B Sentry AWACS aircraft of #USAF are also involved in the #Afghanistan's evacuation operation. WSLR51, an E-3B of 960th AACS is now returning Al-Dhafra from a 10-hour long mission over #Afghanistan. Two KC-135Rs also can be seen going & returning.

#BREAKING: 2 aircraft of #USAF just left Al-Dhafra & are headed to #Kabul for #Afghanistan's evacuation operation. 08-8200, C-17A of #USAF's 62nd Airlift Wing is going to bring 800 Afghan refugees while an AC-130J Gunship (14-5803) will protect the airport from #Taliban's danger

Airbridge to #Kabul now. ZZ171, a #RoyalAirForce's C-17A evacuating #British citizens is getting back to Al-Dhafra, #UAE & 57-2603, a KC-135R tanker of #USAF is flying back to Al-Udeid. While a USAF KC-10A heavy tanker (83-0082) & an E-11A (11-9355) are going #Afghanistan.

14-5797, an AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship of #USAF's 73rd Special Operations Squadron left Al-Dhafra, #UAE & is headed toward #Afghanistan to protect #Kabul airport during the evacuation operation.

15-0051, an Airbus A400M Atlas of #Turkish Air Force flown from Kayseri is about to land in #Kabul to evacuate #Turkish citizens trapped in #Afghanistan. From the other side, a #USAF KC-135R tanker (63-8034) returns Al-Udeid while another (63-8045) is going #Afghanistan.

Satellite images taken by Maxar technologies today show thousands of #Afghan civilians who are not in the evacuation list of #US State Department in civil ramp and also on runway of #Kabul International Airport today morning. Every single one of them pose threat to airplanes.

#BREAKING: #Turkish Air Force's Airbus A400M Atlas with 15-0051 serial number is now over #Kabul. It can't land there to evacuate Turkish nationals as the airport is closed due to a terrorist attack probably carried-out by #Taliban.

#BREAKING: Two Airbus A400Ms of #GermanAirForce, 54+23 (call-sign GAF309) and 54+28 (call-sign GAF304) both have diverted to another airport as the #Kabul airport is closed & the evacuation operation from #Afghanistan is stopped due to terrorist attack.

03-3116, an C-17A of #USAF's 183rd Airlift Squadron is coming back from #Kabul. That's the last C-17A managed to evacuate #Afghan refugees & American troops from #Afghanistan as Kabul airport is now closed due to a terror attack.

#BREAKING: 88-1301, an AC-130W Stinger II Gunship of #USAF just left Al-Dhafra air base & is headed to #Afghanistan to join two other similar aircraft now over #Kabul as the tensions are rising at the airport which has resulted its closure.

#BREAKING: Large number of #USAF aircraft are returning from #Afghanistan. An AC-130J Ghostrider gunship (14-5803) of #USAF's 73rd SOS, three KC-135R tankers (63-8034, 58-0018 & 61-0293) & two KC-10A tankers (82-0191 & 85-0029).

#BREAKING: Two more #USAF aircraft are returning Al-Dhafra from #Afghanistan. 12-9506, an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node & 08-8200, a C-17A Globemaster III with over 500 Afghan refugees onboard all evacuated from #Kabul.

#BREAKING: Three C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft of #USAF are now flying in the airbridge of #Afghanistan's Evacuation Operation. Two of them, the 05-5145 & 08-8200 have #US troops & Afghan refugees evacuated from #Kabul while the 09-9210 (Mooses66) is sending troops.

#USNavy sending its KC-130J (s/n 168072) to #Kabul, #Afghanistan. This tanker aircraft has capacity of carrying large amount of fuel which will be delivered to the troops there to use on the helicopters guarding Kabul airport & transporting #US troops.

A B-52H heavy bomber of #USAF (s/n 60-0026) & two KC-135R tankers (60-0353 & 63-7995) are on their ways to #Afghanistan.

This is how inside of each one of the #USAF C-17A transport aircraft leaving #Kabul looks like now. Each one has 600 to 800 #Afghan nationals onboard during this evacuation operation from #Afghanistan.

Three Quest Kodiak 100 light aircraft are taxiing inside #Kabul International Airport, #Afghanistan now. I don't know who they belong to!

07-7182, a C-17A of #USAF's 437th Airlift Wing is headed toward #Kabul, #Afghanistan. It has additional #US troops onboard who will increase level of security around the military section and also runway & taxiway of #KabulAirport.

03-3124, a C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft of #USAF's 437th Airlift Wing left Al-Dhafra, #UAE & is now headed toward #Kabul, #Afghanistan to evacuate more Afghan citizens.

French Air and Space Force is evacuating French citizens trapped in #Kabul, #Afghanistan using an Airbus A400M Atlas with 0010 serial number & CTM1573 call-sign.

09-9210 (call-sign MOOSE66), a C-17A of #USAF's 62nd Airlift Wing returns Al-Dhafra, #UAE after transporting 300 additional troops of 82nd Airborne Division to #Kabul while 88-0266, a C-17A of 437th Airlift Wing is headed to #Afghanistan to bring 600 to 800 Afghan refugees.

#BREAKING: My findings show #USAF used 17 C-17As for the #Afghanistan's evacuation yesterday:

00-0176, 00-0181, 02-1108, 02-1109, 03-3116, 03-3124, 04-4132, 04-4133, 05-5145, 08-8200, 09-9207, 10-0215

These also sent more #US troops:
04-4134, 04-4137, 07-7182, 08-8190, 09-9210

German Air Force evacuated just 7 German nationals from #Afghanistan yesterday! Because of the chaotic situation of the airport, German nationals trapped in #Kabul didn't reach the airport & missed the two A400Ms of #Luftwaffe which had been sent for their evacuation!

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