The US Air Force has begun evacuating American embassy staff from Kabul in Afghanistan
#Watch: Afghan citizens trying to flee the country cling on to a US Air Force plane as it takes off from #Kabul airport amid the #Taliban takeover of #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/4CXVKziL6F
— ticker NEWS (@tickerNEWSco) August 16, 2021
Kabul airport has been filled with thousands in panic, as desperate citizens attempt try to flee following the seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban.
Reports claim that at least two civilians have so far died in the chaos at the airport, which is being secured by US Army troops.
Commercial flights have mostly been suspended, stranding hundreds of Afghans and other foreign nationals. Emirates is the latest airline to call off flights.
The US and other countries such as Britain are rushing to evacuate staff and allies.
As of Sunday the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed.
The militants’ return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in the country.
Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to hold out against the Taliban, a takeover campaign that began months ago but accelerated in recent days as they gained control of territories and following the withdrawal of US troops.
Another day begins in Kabul, a sea of people rushing into the Kabul airport terminal. #AFG pic.twitter.com/UekpGJ2MWd
— Jawad Sukhanyar (@JawadSukhanyar) August 16, 2021
The Islamist group was able to seize control after most foreign troops pulled out
Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal of American troops, stating that he could not justify an “endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict”.
Social media is playing an interesting role in this latest conflict, with both the Taliban and residents joining news networks around the world in posting images and video footage of the takeover as it unfolds.
