Irish woman evacuated from Afganistan expects to return to Ireland in coming days
The Meath woman left the country on Wednesday and is now safe in Islamabad in Pakistan where she said she will remain for a few days before flying home. Picture: Aoife MacManus/PA Wire
Aoife MacManus, one of the Irish people who managed to escape from Afghanistan during the week, says she expects to be back in Ireland in the coming days.
Now in Islamabad in Pakistan after leaving Kabul on Thursday, the Co Meath woman says she hopes to leave for Ireland on Sunday or Monday.
According to Nato officials, it is now believed that more than 18,000 people have flown out of the Afghan capital since the Taliban seized control.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the number of Irish citizens known to be in Afghanistan and hoping to leave the country was 36.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Friday, Ms MacManus – who had lived in Afghanistan for two years while working in the primary education sector – described how the Taliban ensured she managed to get a safe passage to Kabul Airport.
She said that the issue for people is not getting flights, it's getting to the gates of the airport due to the crowds of people trying to get access.
On Wednesday when they were given the go-ahead for evacuation she was told they would be given an escort to the airport.
"We had an escort, which is actually what's happening at the moment for most NGOs and UN organizations," she said.
"It was a Taliban escort, dramatic as it sounds, to help us to get as far as the airport.
"They cleared traffic in some way and brought us as close to the gate of the airport as possible."
Ms MacManus described "several thousand" people trying to gain access to the airport and many NGO and UN vehicles were forced to turn back because they could not get to the gates.
"So then there are, you know, 1000s of Afghan people trying to also leave," she said.
"They're trying to make their way with their half-finished visa processes or whatever IDs that they have and their families also try and get in the military side of the airport to leave."
She said she was one of the lucky few and was met at the gates to the airport by US Marines who brought them through and processed their details.
"I didn't feel in danger, she added. "I mean there's always going to be moments where things can turn but I felt quite, quite safe in getting to the gate."
When she finally got into the airport, Ms MacManus described thousands of people "standing or sitting around" waiting for their military flights to bring them to the UK or US.
"It was a scene, she said, "and I was still hearing all the gunshots from outside the airport.
"People were obviously still trying to push their way in from somewhere else and the gunshots would have gone into the air to control the crowds, but still quite a surreal experience."
When her flight took off from Kabul airport, she said it was “a very strange and heavy feeling to think that so many colleagues and friends are there and won't have the opportunity to leave any time soon. I was wondering what's next for them.”
Ms McManus said she has to stay positive and hopes “that things will settle.”
"When we were leaving the city, things were much calmer than they had been in the previous days," she said.
She hoped that a middle ground could be reached where education and normal life could happen albeit “maybe more conservative”.
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