three former afghan officers with young families are in kabul behind bars under a taliban death sentence
A British former NATO official has told how three Afghan ex-colleagues are trapped in Kabul under a Taliban death sentence, fearing they have been abandoned by the organisation.
The men, in their thirties with young families, have received death threats from the Taliban because they all worked at Kabul Airport's military side for NATO in the past, and are desperate to flee Afghanistan.
But as the door closes for the international evacuation effort at the airport where they used to work, none of them has yet been given a way out.
'They don't know where to turn,' said their British ex-colleague who asked not to be named to protect his friends' identities.
'All along, after they provided their details to NATO and applied to the UK's ARAP scheme for former civilians working with the military, they were assured: "Sit tight, there is a plan."
'Well now the door is closing and it's pretty clear that there is no plan, or if there was, it didn't last long.
'There are so many ways this could have been handled, but this whole operation has just turned into a clusterf***!
Three Afghan men, in their thirties with young families, have received death threats from the Taliban because they all worked at Kabul Airport's military side for NATO in the past, and are desperate to flee (Pictured: Evacuees walk to be processed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul)
One of the former NATO workers had taken his documents down to the Baron Hotel near the airport two days ago, along with his wife, but he was rifle-butted by the Taliban at the outer perimeter and not allowed further (Pictured: Taliban forces block the roads around Kabul airport Friday)
Two bodies in body bags following the double suicide attack at Kabul airport as evacuation efforts become increasingly difficult
'These guys worked for years for NATO at the airport in various jobs and after the Taliban took over, they contacted me first of all for a reference letter, but then I started helping them contact people and filling in the ARAP forms online.
'But what galls me most is that they trusted us, and when they are told that something will be done to help them, they believe it.'
He said one of the men had taken his documents down to the Baron Hotel near the airport two days ago, along with his wife, but he was rifle-butted by the Taliban at the outer perimeter and not allowed further.
His wife was knocked unconscious and trampled in the throng of people, so they turned around, and luckily for them were not at the very same location on Thursday where two horrific suicide bombs claimed more than 100 lives.
Added the former official: 'These guys have had letters from the Taliban accusing them of being foreign spies.
'Just to have worked for NATO as a baggage handler a few years ago means that they're tainted for life.
'They've all had to move away from home to stay with friends and they are terrified. I know there are still buses being assembled in Kabul for people like this, but inevitably, bribes are changing hands and people who were contractors, rather than direct NATO employees, are in the queue and being flown out.'
'I've also heard stories about Taliban coming on the buses and checking names, which is itself a terrifying thought, and buses not being allowed in.'
He said that if no help was forthcoming before the airport closed for good, the men would have to consider trying to escape via Pakistan, but he added: 'The footage from the various border checkpoints is no more encouraging – it looks horrendous and to do that with a pregnant woman and kids is unthinkable.'
A NATO spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are not in a position to comment on individual cases, but we have passed these details on to colleagues dealing with the evacuation process.'