Afghanistan News: What happens At Taliban Crisis On Kabul Airport.
Key Sentence:
- Panic scenes erupted at Kabul airport as desperate residents fled after the Taliban seized the Afghan capital.
- According to eyewitnesses, at least three civilians died in chaos at the airport guarded by US troops on Monday.
- Some people try to hold on to planes as they take off.
Many foreigners and Afghans were blocked when regular flights were suspended.
The United States including other countries rushed to evacuate their personnel and allies. The Taliban declared their victory on Sunday after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed. The fighters' return to power ends the US-led coalition's nearly 20-year presence in the country.
Kabul is the last major city in Afghanistan to withstand a Taliban offensive, which began months ago but has accelerated control of the territory in recent days, surprising many observers.
After the Taliban captured Calibul, many people went to the airport.
Foreign nationals and some Afghans linked to foreign governments and organizations have been evacuated, but passengers say there are rumors that even visa-free people are allowed to travel. As large crowds gathered, US troops reportedly fired into the air to disperse people trying to enter by plane. There are reports that some died in silence.
A video obtained from Afghan media shows people holding on to a plane as it starts to slide down the tarmac. Another video shows a man falling from a plane taking off. Rahshanda Jalali, a human rights activist who tried to leave, said, "How can [Americans] hold airports and dictate conditions for Afghans?" "This is our airport, but we are seeing the evacuation of diplomats while we wait in uncertainty," he told Reuters.
The United States sent 6,000 troops to help with the evacuation.
Thousands of US citizens, local embassy staff, and their families, as well as "vulnerable Afghans" will be airlifted in the coming days, the US government said in a statement. US President Joe Biden defended the weekend's withdrawal of US troops, saying it could not justify America's "endless presence amid other countries' civil wars."
They also announced on the Taliban to allow anyone to leave the country and keep roads, airports, and border crossings open. A Taliban spokesman said people were allowed to return home from the airport, Reuters reports. On Sunday, Suhail Shahin, a Taliban negotiator in Qatar, told the BBC that property and lives were safe. "We are servants of the people and this country," he said.