Body discovered in landing gear of U.S. military plane that took off from Kabul


A body was found in the landing gear of a U.S. military plane that flew out of Kabul on Monday, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday.
The C-17 aircraft took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Taliban entered Kabul and effectively took control of the government. Hundreds of Afghans had gathered around the plane with the hopes of getting on board, and several people were seen holding onto the side of the C-17, even as it taxied. "Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible," the Air Force said in a statement.
When the plane landed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the crew found human remains inside the wheel well, the Air Force said, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations is reviewing the incident. "OSI's review will be thorough to ensure we obtain the facts regarding this tragic incident," the Air Force said. "Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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