Amid chaotic scenes, thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals have flocked to Kabul airport in search of a place to fly out of the country. The Taliban captured the city.
With the installation of the Taliban in Rashtrapati Bhavan and Elected president fled the countryAccess to Hamid Karzai airport, five kilometers from the center of the capital, is now only possible from Taliban posts. The United States, Britain, Germany, Canada and several other coalition nations are all demanding the evacuation of their citizens from the country. A fire reportedly broke out at the airport on Sunday.
Video from the airport showed people entering the terminal building, and even scenes of dozens being pulled up behind a C-17A military plane on the tarmac.
Thousands of people – including parents carrying young children – are seen marching towards the planes in the airspace. US Humvees are also on the ground at the airport.
In one video a woman says “Look at the condition of the people of Afghanistan”.
Horrible, chaotic scene at Hamid Karzai International Airport. People are scrambling and have nowhere to go. Woman said “Look at the condition of the people of Afghanistan” #accept pic.twitter.com/5Ohe1c81uB
— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) August 15, 2021
A barrage of gunfire at the airport had forced some passengers ashore as they waited for flights out of the country.
Data analyst Masuma Tajik, 22, was among hundreds of Afghans who waited anxiously to board an evacuation flight at Kabul airport. “I have seen people crying, they are not sure whether their flight will happen or not. Not me either,” she said nervously in her voice over the phone.
A NATO official said all commercial flights have been suspended and only military aircraft are allowed to operate.
US military officials are overseeing air traffic control on the ground, which is still operated by Afghan civilians. An additional 1,000 US troops were sent into the country – bringing the number of newly deployed ones to 6,000 – helping to secure the airfield. On Monday morning, the US announced that it had secured the perimeter of the airport.
There were unconfirmed reports – supported by video – that commercial aircraft had been overwhelmed by people aboard, and some had to abort flights because the planes were overweight and could not take off.
Throughout Sunday, Kabul was surrounded by a growing panic.
As helicopters carried American citizens from the US embassy to the airport, smoke rose from near the US compound as crews destroyed sensitive documents, and the American flag was lowered and removed.
France, Germany and the Netherlands, all NATO members, have said they are pulling their diplomats out of their embassies.
afraid that Taliban As the brutal regime imposed before 2001 could be reimposed, Afghans searched for ways out of the country, lined up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings.
Those who fled Taliban-controlled areas to the supposed security of the capital were camping in parks and open spaces across the city.
On Sunday, the Taliban captured the eastern city of Jalalabad without resistance from government forces, giving them control of one of the main highways from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
They also captured the nearby Torkham border post with Pakistan, making Kabul airport the only way out of Afghanistan still under government control.
The US embassy in Kabul warned that the situation in the occupied capital of Afghanistan was unpredictable.
“The security situation in Kabul, including the airport, is changing rapidly,” the embassy said in a security update. “There are reports of fire at the airport; That’s why we are instructing American citizens to take shelter in place.” Almost all US embassy staff are now at the airport.
Taliban fighters enter Rashtrapati Bhavan and declare war: President-elect Ashraf Ghani fled the country before the insurgents entered – reportedly in Tashkent – saying he wanted to “stop the flood of bloodshed”.
“The Taliban have won by decision of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” Ghani said.
In a joint statement, the US Department of Defense and the state said US citizens and locally employed staff from the US mission in Kabul would be evacuated along with “other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals” in the coming days.
“And we will expedite the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for US special immigrant visas, about 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the United States in the past two weeks. For all categories, Afghans who clear security checks will continue to be transferred directly to the United States. And we will find additional locations for those who are yet to be screened. “
Asked whether the evacuation was the cause of the chaos of American departure from Vietnam in 1975, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “Let’s take a step back. This is clearly not Saigon“
But in a sign of the chaotic and desperate situation, British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow was reported to have been at Hamid Karzai airport, helping a handful of diplomats still in the country, who had killed Afghan civilians working with British forces. Tried to get applications. out of the country.
The Foreign Office initially said that 34 Chevening scholars who were set to move to the UK to study at British universities could not come because their visas could not be processed at the Kabul embassy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson personally intervened Adding: “We want to make sure they are able to come and so we are doing whatever we can to expedite their visas as well”.
Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said the Taliban had “achieved what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the freedom of our people”.
“We will not allow anyone to use our land to target anyone and we do not want to harm others,” Naeem said. He said that the group would not interfere in the affairs of others and in turn would not allow interference in their affairs.
We do not think that foreign powers will repeat their failed experience in Afghanistan once again.