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"That airport was a circle of hell -- I mean that in every sense of the word," said Glenn Luther, who helped a group of 120 Afghan men, women and children with logistics as they attempted to leave Afghanistan through the airport in Kabul before the Taliban took it over.
Luther, 42, formerly of Howland, made connections in Afghanistan when he went to the country in 2003 to help teach aspiring Afghan journalists photojournalism skills.
What started with a list of 20 to 30 former students and their families Luther wanted to assist in getting out as U.S. and allied forces left the country -- and the Taliban swiftly took over -- grew to 120 as people desperate to leave grew.
"Getting in was impossible. The people who made it into the airport got through the gates because of timing," Luther said. "Gates would open and then shut. If they were lucky enough to be close when the gate opened, they got in. But, if there was shooting or a bomb, they would have to run away from the gates, and a lot of that activity was focused on the gates because that was where people were headed."
Luther helped by working with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, to secure the proper paperwork for the people fleeing the newly empowered regime, mapping out routes, organizing group chats on encrypted apps and fielding calls with organizations assisting with plane and ground transportation, working with two others who managed to escape to Vienna, Austria and Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Taliban moved in on the airport at the end of August, the last U.S. plane left on Aug. 30, as many still tried to leave. About a week before, Luther's group tried to leave on a flight, but with long lines of 5,000 people or more, closed gates, shootings and no available security escorts, it was impossible to get through.
"So many people in Afghanistan are desperate to get out. The Taliban are notorious for their unflinching brutality. No one wants to be around when that returns to Kabul city. So they are packed around the airport walls hoping to find a way to escape," Luther stated in an Aug. 22 message to this newspaper.
Luther said the situation was even more chaotic when members of the Taliban were allowed to police around the airport.
The flight fell through because of the violence. "We couldn't get them close enough," Luther said.
Everyone was exhausted from the failed journey, and it was difficult to find food, water and rest, Luther said.
NEXT CHANCE
When news of the next arranged flight came through, Luther called his contacts to wake them at 1 a.m. Kabul time. Again, there wasn't much time to get to the flightline.
There were stories of beatings and deaths along the way. There was no more staff at the United Nations, no one to answer questions or help align paper work, which meant no convoys or official security details.
The group waited a few hours until the curfew lifted and gathered at a meeting spot.
"The pilot said, 'Come 7 a.m., hell or high water, I am out of here. We're not waiting,'" Luther said.
As they prepared, news came across that three high-ranking U.S. officials were in-country, including two senators, something Luther says was "grandstanding" and an event he believes costs his group and others a chance at leaving the country. And, expectations that the airport perimeter would be expanded by the Biden administration, in a way that would have made it easier to get to the proper place, never came through.
A security company was hired by a nonprofit to escort the group and it moved forward. But now only 200 yards or so from the gate, the Taliban stood in the way.
"It was like a big game of Red Rover. They were daring them over, but if they had made a move ... it could have made the nightly news. So they waited, hoping the Taliban would move on," Luther said.
Around midnight, the group tried to make a move with some drivers to approach the gate. But the "sheer panic" and desperation of the situation made it impossible. And the drivers fled.
"Then, the only way in was by foot. So what followed was one of the bravest acts -- 120 of them walked down the dark road, full of Taliban, four-by-four, walking slowly like a turtle so there wasn't a lot of movement," Luther said.
They learned a "back door" gate would open for them.
"It took nerves of steel. They were tired, hungry and scared the Taliban would shoot them. They were exposed and vulnerable, carrying their children, some babies, a year or younger," Luther said.
It was dark, with little electricity.
They reached the gate and waited, but it didn't open.
LOST HOPE
"We stayed at the gate until everyone lost hope. Fifty hours. It absolutely broke my heart. I felt hopeless," Luther said.
But resiliently, the fight to get out continued.
After three days, without sleep, without food or water, the group found buses to board and approach the airport. The bus was about 58th in the queue, Luther said.
Inching forward, they watched in horror as a member of the Taliban boarded a bus in front of them and tore up a man's papers. They waited. And when they were about 24th in line, bombs exploded about 200 yards away, Luther said.
"When the bombs went off, the gates closed. And, they never reopened again," Luther said.
The group split up as the Taliban took over the airport. One man carried his four daughters and wife through a sewage ditch to use his UN credentials to find safety.
"Out of the 120, maybe nine or 10 got out. So there was some hope and some light," Luther said.
Efforts are still under way, but prospects are dark, Luther said.
"But we try not to lose hope and we will keep trying," Luther said. "I hope there are still more chapters to be written, that end with 'happily ever after.'"