Red handkerchiefs, inked palms speeding Afghans to safety

To get their Afghan workers and their families into Kabul's chaotic airport for evacuation, Western charities are inventing simple, one-off passwords

ROME -- The Afghan worker for an Italian charity tried twice to enter Kabul’s chaotic airport, to secure her promised seat on an evacuation flight. The crush was too much, and on her second attempt she feared she would die in the stampede. Getting the attention of Western troops, never mind being believed by them, was impossible. Amina, who asked to use a pseudonym for her own protection, wanted to give up and stay behind, despite the threat posed by Taliban rule against anyone, especially women, who had worked with Western organizations. Then, her charity, Nove Onlus, came up with a system: They created a WhatsApp group administered by an Afghan in a safe country to share instructions and information on Taliban checkpoints. Each member was geolocated and identified as they approached the airport. All they needed was a password of sorts: Flash a red handkerchief tied around the wrist to the alerted Italian soldiers who waded into the crowd to pluck them out. Such simple, one-off signals have helped save hundreds of Afghan workers who worked with Western organizations and are trying to escape the country with their families, but who haven’t had time to organize formal paperwork.