Thousands stranded in Afghanistan as Kabul airport shuts ops

Kabul airport was overwhelmed on Sunday night with over 2,000 people hoping to board commercial flights leaving the country….reports Asian Lite News

All commercial flights have been suspended at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, a statement by the airport authority said on Monday.

The statement urged the public not to crowd the airport, as per Afghan media.

Kabul airport was overwhelmed on Sunday night with over 2,000 people hoping to board commercial flights leaving the country.

Meanwhile, evacuation efforts facilitated by the US forces are underway.

Former president Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday bound for a Central Asian country.

Sources said that some people were killed and wounded by gunfire at the airport on Monday morning as crowds continue to grow.

Footage shared on social media appears to show Afghan civilians clinging to the side of a US military aircraft as it prepares to take off from Kabul’s international airport.

In the videos, a number of people are seen apparently sitting on the side of the US military transport plane as it moves down the runway, while crowds run alongside, BBC reported.

According to some reports, which have also not been confirmed, at least two people were killed after falling from a plane after it had taken off.

At least two other people were reportedly killed earlier at the same airport, as crowds of passengers attempted to flee the country. It is unclear whether they were shot or killed in a stampede.

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of Afghanistan for the first time in almost 20 years, after the government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad.

As thousands of people stormed Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, three people were seen falling down the sky after they hanged themselves to a plane.

The plane seemed to be of United States.

The US has started evacuation of its Kabul-based embassy staff and their Afghan colleagues.

Meanwhile, the United States has announced to be taking the charge of Hamid Karzai International Airport.

There is no flight in or out of Kabul airport.

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