Red handkerchiefs, inked palms speeding Afghans to safety

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — To get their Afghan workers and their families into Kabul’s chaotic airport for evacuation, Western charities are inventing simple, one-off passwords. In one case, women wore red handkerchiefs around their wrists. In another, they scrawled a P on their palms. Thanks to the makeshift signals, 150 people — Afghans working for Italian charities and their families — landed in Rome early Tuesday, following the arrival of others the day before, and still more are expected in coming days.