When the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 16, thousands of civilians who risked their lives to flee Afghanistan crowded into Kabul airport. The US military had to open fire, 5 people were killed and evacuation flights were halted.
Video: People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off. pic.twitter.com/9qA36HS0WQ
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 16, 2021
According to the BBC, Kabul airport is currently in chaos as thousands of Afghans flock here to try to flee the South Asian country that has fallen into the hands of Islamic Taliban fighters.
Impressive photo: 640 Afghans inside the giant C-17 cargo plane to the US
All flights up and down at Kabul airport have been halted to allow troops to clear the runway and stabilize crowds.
#BREAKING: Watch #US citizens & troops evacuating #Afghanistan board a C-17A heavy transport aircraft of #USAF's 137th Airlift Squadron with 01-0192 serial number at #Kabul International Airport. The airplane is now entering #UAE's airspace. pic.twitter.com/lPmMNZkIzO
— Hamem Afghan (@hamemafghan) August 15, 2021
According to Reuters, the first of three German evacuation planes failed to land at Kabul airport, but had to be diverted to the Uzbek capital Tashkent. A second German plane was flying around Kabul.
The chaos of Kabul airport forces America to temporarily stop evacuating its nationals
“American military forces along with soldiers from Turkey and other countries are having to ensure order. We don’t know how long this will take,” Kirby said.
The US has deployed 6,000 troops to assist with the evacuation at Kabul airport.
