Afghanistan: Violence erupts at Kabul airport as Afghans try to flee Taliban

Kabul airport in chaos after Afghans try to flee on US jets, Taliban gunmen roam terminals | Warning: Distressing content

People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off on Monday. Picture: Twitter

Kabul’s international airport was in the throes of chaos as desperate Afghans tried to flee on departing U.S. jets, Taliban gunmen roamed the terminals, and U.S. troops killed at least two men, a sign of the disorder in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

US troops flew helicopters low overhead, launched smoke grenades and fired into the air in an attempt to disperse crowds and gain control of the facility, where the US is staging the evacuation of American personnel, thousands of Afghan interpreters and others who worked for the US and now fear Taliban retribution.

The Biden administration is facing criticism from both parties in Congress for the hasty withdrawal, after expressing confidence for months that the Kabul government and Afghan military could hold off the Taliban.

Video: People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off. pic.twitter.com/9qA36HS0WQ

— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 16, 2021

Over the past three days the Biden administration authorised more troops for the Kabul airport, but only a portion of them have arrived in part because of the lack of security. There are now approximately 2,500 American troops on the ground, with thousands more on the way over the next several days, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Monday.

Afghanistan has had no functioning government since President Ashraf Ghani fled the country Sunday and the Taliban moved into the capital. The airport has become a focal point for security as the US tries to restore order there amid the worsening situation.

At least eight Afghans were killed Monday at the airport. In two incidents, armed men were shot and killed after approaching US Marines. The US troops weren’t injured and the armed men weren’t identified. Military officials said they couldn’t confirm whether the armed individuals were members of the Taliban.

Three Afghans who were holding on to the side of a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport jet as it moved across a runway were killed when they fell off the side of the fuselage and were run over, US officials said. Witnesses separately reported seeing three bloodied bodies, including that of one woman, on the ground outside the passenger terminal building. Stranded travellers said these people had been shot.

After announcing the complete withdrawal of American forces in April, Mr. Biden on Thursday authorised the temporary redeployment of up to 9000 troops to assist with the complete evacuation of American personnel, Afghans and personnel from allied countries.

On Monday, former President Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who had been the chief peace negotiator in Mr. Ghani’s government, said in a joint video message that they had held talks with the Taliban.

“We talked about necessary matters; our ongoing cooperation is very good, ” Mr. Karzai said in the video. “God willing, a lasting peace, security and happiness will come to our beloved country.” Both men are in Kabul. One hindrance to a quicker resolution to arrangements for a new or transitional government is the mayhem at Kabul airport. The chaos has prevented Mr. Karzai and Dr. Abdullah, for now, from flying to the Gulf city of Qatar, where the Taliban’s political office is based, to negotiate face to face with the Taliban’s political chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Exclusive- A clear video (from other angle) of men falling from C-17. They were Clinging to some parts of the plane that took off from Kabul airport today. #Talibans#Afghanistan#Afghanishtanpic.twitter.com/CMNW5ngqrK

— AÅ›vaka - آسواکا News Agency (@AsvakaNews) August 16, 2021

With the Taliban in control of the whole country, those holding talks with the group have little leverage. It remains unclear to what extent, if any, the Taliban are willing to share power.

Thousands of desperate Afghans - many of whom used to work for American forces - flocked to the airport in Kabul as the victorious Taliban combed the capital for those who had collaborated with the West. Rumors circulated that flights were taking passengers even without passports and tickets.

Video images from the airport on Monday showed people holding on to a military plane moving along the tarmac and appeared to show two objects or people fall off when the aircraft was hundreds of feet in the air.

“I saw one person grabbing the plane when it moved and then later he fell down,” said a man at the airport.

Firing at the Kabul airport. Taliban are barely 100 meters away and stopping people from entering the airport. Hundreds of people are sitting at the runway refusing to leave in the hope of flying out of the hell. (Video+Info) via local sources pic.twitter.com/iPt5N6ilx3

— Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) August 16, 2021

Hundreds of Afghan civilians were seen close to the runway and around parked planes Monday, with some hanging from boarding ramps as they scrambled to get into aircraft, hindering evacuation efforts.

Inside the terminal, shops were looted, passengers said, adding to the sense of panic.

Some Taliban fighters entered the airport and frequently shot in the air, terrifying passengers, travelers said.

The Taliban said again Monday that they had issued orders to fighters - whom they call mujahedeen, or holy warriors - that they couldn’t enter homes without owners’ permission.

“Life, property and honor of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the mujahedeen,” said Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban, on Twitter.

Afghans climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport on Monday. Picture: AFP

Another Taliban spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, told the Al Jazeera channel that the form of the new government in Afghanistan would be made clear soon. He also said that the group wants peaceful relations with other countries.

In Kabul, and in some other places, nongovernmental organizations reported that their offices were visited by Taliban fighters, who told them to register their activities with the group.

Civilians try to board a plane to flee the Taliban at Kabul airport. Picture: Twitter: Ahmer Khan @ahmermkhan

The Taliban also went Monday to Tolo News, the country’s most prominent private news channel, asked about the weapons kept by the security team at the heavily fortified Tolo offices, and collected firearms that had been issued by the government, the channel said.

“So far they are polite,” Saad Mohseni, director of Tolo’s parent company, said on Twitter. “They have also agreed to keep the compound safe.”

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to the United Nations called on the Taliban to permit Afghan and foreign nationals who wanted to leave the country to do so, and called on Afghanistan’s neighbors to open their borders.

A volunteer carries an injured man as other people can be seen waiting at Kabul airport on Monday. Picture: AFP

“All Afghan nationals and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so safely,” the envoy, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said at a UN Security Council briefing.

She said the U.S. promised to be generous in resettling Afghans in the US, and said she was heartened by other nations’ pledges to do the same.

“Together, we must do everything we can to help Afghanistan, to help Afghans who wish to leave and seek refuge,” she said.

European nations, including France and Germany, said they were moving to evacuate their citizens along with some local Afghan staff, while Russia and Turkey said they would maintain their embassies, as did China.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Monday that 600 UK paratroopers and logistical staff had arrived in Kabul to help evacuate people.

About 300 UK passport holders have been evacuated. A further 700 people would be evacuated in the next 24 to 36 hours, including Afghan nationals, with another 800 in a similar time period after that, Mr. Wallace told the British Broadcasting Corp. He said the U.K. had the capacity to take out more than 1,000 people a day but said that processing speed was limiting the numbers flying out.

Dion Nissenbaum contributed to this article.

WSJ