No fewer than 20 people died in the last week near Kabul airport during attempts to flee Afghanistan by plane after Taliban insurgents took over the capital, a Nato official has said.
This happened as desperate Afghans daily throng Kabul Airport to flee the rampaging Taliban insurgents.
Reports of stampedes and crushing injuries, triggered in part by Taliban fighters firing into the air to control the crowds, have highlighted the chaotic and at times deadly situation in Kabul as thousands seek sanctuary before the airlift operation comes to an end.
The deteriorating situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport was confirmed earlier on Sunday by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), which said seven people had been killed in the area as large crowds gathered in an attempt to flee the Taliban takeover.
Independent reports that Western nations are hurriedly trying to rescue thousands of people after the Islamist group gained control of Afghanistan in little more than a week.
The unnamed Nato source, who was speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said: “The crisis outside the Kabul airport is unfortunate. Our focus is to evacuate all foreigners as soon as we can.”
Crowds have grown at the airport every day over the past week, hindering operations as the United States and other nations attempt to evacuate thousands of their diplomats and civilians as well as numerous Afghans.
“Our forces are maintaining strict distance from outer areas of the Kabul airport to prevent any clashes with the Taliban,” the Nato official added.
The UK MoD said in a statement: “Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible.
“Our sincere thoughts are with the families of the seven Afghan civilians who have sadly died in crowds in Kabul.”
The MoD’s Operation Pitting evacuation mission is being supported by 1,000 British troops with nearly 4,000 people repatriated from Afghanistan since 13 August.
