The U.S. Air Force concluded this week that members of its contingent were not responsible for the deaths of several Afghans who lost their lives in the chaotic departure from Kabul after falling from the outside of a military plane or being found crushed on wheels. Air Force officials said Monday they would not pursue disciplinary action against crew members who flew a C-17 cargo plane from Kabul to Qatar last August following an investigation by the Air Force Special Investigation Bureau. THE AFGHANISTS WHO WERE STUCK ON OUR DEPARTURE PLANE DID TO DIE IN THE CHAOS THAT LEFT 7 DEAD: SERVICES In this August 21, 2021 image provided by the US Air Force, US Air Force and Marines guide evacuated C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to support evacuation from Afghanistan. at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Senior Airman Brennen Lege / US Air Force via AP) Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the investigation found the crew had made a “correct judgment” amid an “unprecedented” crisis, as dozens of Afghans flooded the military plane as it tried to take off. Shots from a mobile phone showed two dark dots falling from a C-17 plane as it took off. The video later turned out to show Afghans separating from each other for seconds after trying to get stuck outside the plane. Military officials also found the remains of at least one person in the plane’s wheel wells after landing in Qatar. It remains unclear how many Afghans lost their lives as they tried to flee Kabul after the Taliban invaded, desperately clinging to the plane. AFGHANISTAN TALIBAN URGES UN Security Council to lift restrictions on women and girls Hundreds of people are running alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, some as they board the plane as it makes its way to Kabul International Airport on Monday. (AP) Although two dots appeared to be falling from the plane, two bodies were found landing on the same roof – suggesting they fell at the same time. One of the bodies was identified as 24-year-old dentist Fida Mohammad, while the other was later identified as a young man named Safiullah Hotak. It is not clear if a third person was found after falling from the same aircraft. At least one person was also found crushed to death on the asphalt by one of the wheels of the C-17. CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION An American Marine with the Naval Air-Ground Forces-Crisis Management-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) accompanies a child to his family during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul 24, Kabul. Army members and coalition forces assist the State Department in a non-combat evacuation operation (NEO) in Afghanistan. (Photo of the US Marine Corps by Chief of Staff Victor Mancilla) Military officials ruled that the Air Force crew had acted “in accordance with applicable rules of engagement relating specifically to the incident and the general law of the armed conflict,” Stefanek said. The spokeswoman described the incident as “tragic”, but said the crew “acted appropriately” deciding to “get on the air as quickly as possible”. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
