Some chaotic scenes were recorded on camera when thousands of civilians desperate to leave Afghanistan rushed to the Kabul airport after the Taliban captured the capital and prompted the United States’ military to suspend evacuations on Monday.
A short video that went viral on social media showed Afghans, who had clung on to the underbelly of a US military transport plane, falling from the aircraft.
“Locals near Kabul airport claim that three young men who were holding themselves tightly on to the tires of an airplane fell on top of people’s houses. One of the locals confirmed this and said that the fall of these people made a loud and terrifying noise,” a local news agency, Asvaka, tweeted.
Reportedly, at least five people were killed after gunfire at the airport.
According to Reuters, a US official said that the US troops fired in the air to deter people trying to enter in a military flight evacuating US diplomats and embassy staff. Two gunmen were killed by the US forces there over the past 24 hours.
A witness told Reuters that it was unclear if they had been shot or killed in a stampede while a Pentagon spokesperson said there were indications that one US soldier was wounded.
