Chaos reigns in Kabul airport as Afghans and foreigners attempt to flee

The US, the UK, Germany, Canada, the UAE, and a number of other countries are all attempting to evacuate their citizens from the country.

Thousands of Afghans, foreign diplomats, and government officials attempted to flee the country shortly after the Taliban took power, causing chaos at Kabul’s airport.

Because the Taliban had taken over the presidential palace and the elected president had fled the country, access to Hamid Karzai airport, five kilometers from the capital, was only possible through Taliban checkpoints, according to the UK Guardian.

As night fell in Afghanistan’s capital, multiple explosions were heard, and local media reported gunfire near the airport.

The US, the UK, Germany, Canada, the UAE, and a number of other countries are all attempting to evacuate their citizens from the country.

The civilian side of the airport came under fire on Sunday, and by Monday morning, there were reports of US troops firing into the air to disperse the crowds.

The US military has secured the site and taken control of air traffic control, according to the BBC, in order to evacuate American and allied personnel.

“Foreign embassies warned their nationals and Afghan citizens that going to the airport was dangerous and that they should only go if they were told to. Embassy personnel are being flown to the airport’s military side, which is manned by US troops.”

For the most part, commercial flights have been halted, leaving hundreds of Afghans and other foreign nationals stranded at the airport.

Read also: Lagos joins forces with a US corporation to investigate the $50 billion global solar sector

The Taliban declared victory after the government collapsed on Sunday. President Ashraf Ghani has taken refuge in another country.

Mr Ghani stated that he did so in order to avoid bloodshed.

The Taliban, he continued, are now facing a “new historical test.” “Either they will protect Afghanistan’s name and honor, or they will give other places and networks a higher priority.”

“The Taliban must provide assurance to all Afghans, tribes, segments, sisters and women, and make clear plans and share them with the public in order to gain legitimacy and the hearts and minds of the people,” he said, without revealing where he had gone.

The militants’ return to power brings an end to a US-led coalition’s nearly two-decade presence in the country.

The group was able to seize control after the majority of foreign troops withdrew.

Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden defended the troop withdrawal, saying that a “endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil war” could not be justified.