The most striking scene of the evacuation of Afghanistan after the departure of American troops, no military will be held accountable.
The decision revolves around the crew of a Boeing C17 Globemaster III military transport plane taxiing behind hundreds of Afghans trying to flee the country at a time when the Taliban were poised to seize local power take over. Images showed that after takeoff, several people fell from the plane and at least five died. After the videos went around the world, the US Air Force (USAF) launched an investigation into the case.
That process was completed and made public yesterday (13), with the USAF stating that “the crew followed the Rules of Operations (ROE) and the law of armed conflict when they decided to take off amid a tumultuous crowd on the runway, with several people were killed trying to board the jet”.
Even after takeoff, the C17 pilots reported that they could not fully retract the landing gear, which later turned out to be people trapped in the compartment.
“The crew acted quickly to ensure their own safety and that of the aircraft in light of the unprecedented and worsening situation,” the USAF said in an official Air Force Times statement.
The decision was anticipated because the US culturally does not condemn any official or citizen who responds to any indication of an imminent attack, even with the use of the maximum force available.