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Afghans are fighting for space to get on a plane as the Taliban take control of the country. Courtesy of the BBC
New Delhi:
A video of hundreds of Afghans scrambling to board a plane to leave the country amid the return of the Taliban could become the latest defining image of desperation in the war-torn country. Afghan airspace is now closed.
A plane parked at Kabul airport is surrounded by a sea of people pushing and fighting to get into the cabin from the only ladder connected to the front door. Many are also seen roaming the tarmac and making no effort to find a plane to board, a sign that they may have given up hope of leaving.
The visuals of Kabul Airport looked more like a chaotic bus station than an airport. Barbed wire surrounds the tarmac in some places, behind which a line of Afghans fixes the few remaining American soldiers guarding the airport.
US troops at the airport fired shots into the air to disperse the crowds this morning. “I’m very scared here. They fire a lot of shots in the air,” a witness told AFP news agency.
The Afghan Civil Aviation Authority has asked all transit planes to reorient, adding that any transit through Kabul airspace would be unchecked, Reuters news agency reported. The Kabul flight information region covers all of Afghanistan.
Kabul airport visuals looked more like a chaotic bus station than an airport
The Taliban controlled Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and admitted terrorists had won the 20 Years War. The surprisingly rapid collapse of the government, with terrorists taking control of the presidential palace on Sunday evening, sparked fear and panic in the capital Kabul.
Mr Ghani fled on Sunday as terrorists surrounded Kabul, the Taliban sealing a nationwide military victory that eluded all cities in just 10 days.
“The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and preservation of their compatriots,” Ghani said in a statement on Facebook, his first since. his flight.
In a video posted to social media, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar also announced the victory. “Now it is time to test and prove, now we have to show that we can serve our nation and provide safety and comfort in life,” he said.
Afghan government forces collapsed without the support of the US military, which invaded in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks and overthrew the Taliban for their support of Al Qaeda.
With contributions from AFP
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