Chaos and disorder have been the prevailing state of affairs at Kabul airport since the Taliban formally took over Afghanistan on Sunday this week. Since then, a raft of people has flocked to the airport fearing persecution from the Talibani regime and in a desperate bid to fly out of the country.
Thousands of people were seen queuing up outside the Kabul International Airport, hoping to get inside and catch a flight right out of the country. However, a report published in Sky News says the condition exacerbated this morning as people standing in the front of the queue found themselves crushed as mayhem swept over the place.
The foreign soldiers had little time, to process and help the victims as the huge crowd of people jostled and pushed to get inside the airport. Scores of people reportedly died in the stampede that ensued outside the airport premises, the report said, as officials were seen covering the dead with white sheets.
US and Chinese embassy in Afghanistan urge their nationals to refrain from travelling to Kabul airport
With chaos engulfing Kabul airport and much of Afghanistan, the United States embassy in Afghanistan, which is operating from the military side of the airport, urged American citizens to avoid travelling to the airport citing “potential security threat”.
“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so”, the embassy said in its latest security alert issued today.
“U.S. citizens requesting assistance in departing the country who have not yet to completed the Repatriation Assistance Request for each traveller in their group should do so as soon as possible. Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens in Afghanistan who are awaiting immigrant visas should also complete this form if they wish to depart,” the embassy said in the alert. The statement also asked people not to call the embassy, and added that filling the form is the only way to contact them.
Similarly, the Chinese embassy in Kabul also asked Chinese nationals to stay away from Kabul airport and other sites that are prone to violent flare-ups. In fact, the Chinese embassy went a step ahead and even asked its citizens to strictly abide by Islamic customs, including the code of dressing and dining in public.
Chinese embassy in Afghanistan on Saturday urged Chinese nationals there to strictly abide by Islamic custom including code of dressing and dining in public. The embassy also suggested Chinese people keep distance from the Kabul airport and other chaotic sites. pic.twitter.com/UkMdr8lJ0j
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 21, 2021
Taliban takes over Afghanistan
After a month-long offensive against the Afghan army, the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). They entered Afghanistan’s presidential palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Since then surreal scenes have emerged as people try to flee the country to save their lives. Visuals of Afghan people falling from the sky as they tried to escape while hanging on to the wheels of the aeroplanes have gone viral on social media. The Taliban terrorists have been seen enjoying themselves as the amusement park as well in other surreal scenes.
While the Taliban has promised to preserve women’s rights and grant amnesty to everyone who had run afoul with the terror outfit, the situation on the ground tells a different story. There have been reports emerging from Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan that say the Taliban terrorists have been hunting down their adversaries and exacting revenge from those whom they perceive to have helped the United States and NATO forces. This has added to the panic among the people, who are now either going underground or rushing towards the airport to escape the country.
