Sunday, 22 Sep 2024

Afghanistan: Second British victim of Kabul airport terror attack named as grandfather who was visiting family

The second British Afghan killed in Thursday’s terror attack in Kabul has been named by his family as Musa Popal.

Mr Popal, 60, left his home in north London at the end of May to visit family in Kandahar and was killed in the airport bombing.

His son Hidayat told Sky News his father moved to the UK in 1999 and was a British passport holder.

A “hard-working” man, Mr Popal opened a shop in Edgware called Madeena Supermarket, which he “built by himself” and ran with his children.

His grandson, an Afghan national, is still missing after the blast.

His wife and other children are still in the country and have been unable to leave.

Hidayat said he was worried about losing other family members, adding: “Every day when we open the social media we see, daily, people dying in Afghanistan, normally innocent people. My dad wasn’t a criminal, wasn’t a terrorist.”

Mr Popal had gone to the airport with his family to show his passport to troops before the blast happened.

After having his documents checked and being interviewed, Hidayat said his father was turned away.

“There should have been a different route for the British people, but they ignore them,” he said.

If the blast had not happened, he believes his father would have been eventually evacuated – but he was not sure if the rest of his family would have gotten out.

Hidayat said his family was worried when they found out about the blast and contacted hospitals to find out whether Mr Popal was one of the victims.

“My whole family did not sleep from like three days, didn’t eat, even myself,” he said.

Mr Popal normally visits the country every year to see his family and had planned to stay in the country for only three months.

“Life is too short,” Hidayat said. “We have to help each other.”

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.

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