US Takes Control Of Kabul Airport As Chaos Engulfs Afghanistan

Following the Taliban's control of the Afghan capital, Kabul airport has seen scenes of panic as desperate inhabitants try to flee.

According to eyewitnesses told BBC on Monday that at least three civilians died in the mayhem at the airport, which is being guarded by US forces.

Hundreds of Afghans and other international nationals have been stranded due to the suspension of commercial flights.

The United States and other countries are scrambling to evacuate their personnel and allies.

After Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and his administration fell, the Taliban declared victory on Sunday.

The militants' return to power brings an end to a US-led coalition's presence in the country after nearly two decades.

Kabul was the final big city in Afghanistan to resist a Taliban attack that began months ago but increased in recent days as they seized territory, startling many observers.

After most foreign troops withdrew, the Islamist organization was able to gain power.

Many people went to the airport when the Taliban took control of Kabul.

Foreigners and Afghans with ties to foreign governments and organizations have been evacuated, but passengers claim that rumors have spread that even those without passports were allowed to depart.

Crowds sprinting to the airport terminal with children and bags in tow were captured on video by an Afghan journalist on Monday.

As a large crowd gathered, US forces reportedly fired into the air to disperse those attempting to board flights. According to some sources, persons died in the rush.

Another event, according to a video obtained by an Afghan journalist, shows three guys falling from a plane that had taken off after clinging to its tyres.

The United States has dispatched 6,000 troops to help with the evacuation.

Tens of thousands of American citizens, local embassy workers and their families, and other "vulnerable Afghan nationals," would be flown in the next few days, according to a US government statement.

Rakhshanda Jilali, a human rights activist who is trying to leave, said: "How can [the Americans] hold the airport and dictate terms and conditions to Afghans?"

"This is our airport but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty," she told Reuters news agency.

US President Joe Biden defended the troop pullout over the weekend, saying that a "endless American presence in the center of another country's civil turmoil" could not be justified.

In a joint statement, more than 60 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, stated that the Afghan people "deserve to live in safety, security, and dignity," and that security and civil order should be restored promptly.

They also urged the Taliban to let anyone who desires to leave to do so, as well as to maintain open roadways, airports, and border crossings.

According to Reuters, a Taliban spokesman said individuals will be permitted to return home from the airport.

Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban negotiator in Qatar, told the BBC on Sunday that properties and lives were safe. "We are the servants of the people and of this country," he said.