Evacuation flights out of Kabul airport have been halted after 7 people died in a number of incidents. The chaos comes as thousands seek to flee Afghanistan, which the Taliban have retaken just weeks after the withdrawal of most US forces.
In one shocking incident, three young Afghans fell to their deaths from a US military aircraft as it took off. They had been holding onto the wheels in a desperate attempt to escape. Hundreds of Afghans had tried to board the plane while it was on the runway.
In another incident, remaining US troops shot two people dead who were trying to board a departing aircraft. The US military says both individuals were armed.
Three people also died while on a runway as they were crushed under the wheels of a departing airplane.
The Pentagon, which is in charge of US military actions, say that 3,000 US troops will remain stationed at the airport in order to maintain order. These troops will oversee the evacuation of those from NATO countries before the Taliban is once again in charge.
Thousands are attempting to flee the country as they fear the return of the extreme Islamist Taliban regime, which has not been in power since 2001. For 20 years, the Taliban have fought a war across Afghanistan in order to retake power.
Those who assisted the Afghan government or fought in the Afghan army fear execution from the Taliban who will enforce strict Sharia law and will likely ban the education of women.
Afghanistan's representative to the UN Security Ghulam Isaczai has already said:
"Kabul residents are reported that the Taliban have already started house-to-house searches in some neighbourhoods, registering names and looking for people in their target list."
It is only a matter of weeks since the US announced their withdrawal from the country, at the time, US President Joe Biden said that the Afghan government and Army would be strong enough to withstand any Taliban offensive. A prediction that was very wrong. He is due to make a statement on the situation shortly.
Already this event looks like the biggest failure of US foreign policy since the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army in 1975.
[h/t: Daily Mail]
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