Seven dead after chaotic scenes at Kabul airport
16 August 2021, 20:34
Some fell from a departing US military transport plane after Afghans rushed onto the tarmac amid efforts by many to flee the Taliban.
Senior US military officials say the chaos at the Kabul airport on Monday morning left seven people dead, including some who fell from a departing US military transport jet.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed.
Some clung to the side of a US military plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as America’s 20-year war comes to a chaotic end.
Another video showed the Afghans falling as the plane gained altitude over Kabul.
The US military is sending another battalion of about 1,000 troops to help safeguard the airport, where US forces killed two armed people during increasingly chaotic evacuation efforts.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby briefed reporters on the additional deployments aimed at bringing a semblance of order to the evacuations.
Separately, one of the top US military commanders has met face-to-face with senior leaders of the Taliban, urging the longtime US enemy not to interfere with the massive airport evacuation as the United States withdraws.
General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, warned the Taliban officials that the US military would respond forcefully to defend the airport if necessary, the official said.
