A contingent of British and French peacekeepers, stationed less than 1km away in the military part of the airport, were apparently unaware that the situation had flared out of control. Earlier, they had sent food and blankets for the growing crowd.
The security force "knew there was an ongoing incident, but it happened very quickly," said British Captain Graham Dunlop, a spokesman for the peacekeepers. He said the civilian area of the airport was under the control of Afghan authorities.
Mohammed Anif, a Kabul man who was waiting to see off his father on the pilgrimage, saw the mob rush the plane after a rumor ran through the crowd that it was about to take off.
"They went running up the steps and inside the plane, and we saw struggles and a body thrown out of the plane," he said. He said he could not tell from a distance if it was Rahman's.
Some accounts, though, said Rahman left the plane of his own accord to try to talk to the crowd.
Before the plane was stormed, Anif said he heard people in the crowd talking angrily about the minister using the plane for an official trip while they waited for their own plane to Mecca for the hajj festival.
The numbers of Afghan pilgrims wanting to embark on the pilgrimage had been building up, with the backlog running into the thousands by Thursday.
The hajj to Mecca is one of the pillars of Islam. Muslims who are able-bodied and can afford the journey are obliged to do it at least once in their lifetime.
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