On Sunday, eyewitnesses stated that the Taliban fired a gunshot into the air to put people outside Kabul airport into a queue. Taliban members also used batons to keep people under control, witnesses added. This came a day after seven people died in a stampede at the gates of the airport.
Witnesses also said that no more injuries had been seen during the long line of people and the Taliban’s intervention to the crowds.
The UK’s Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that seven Afghan people were murdered in confluence that occurred around the airport as many people tried to flee the country. In the statement, it was said, “Conditions on the ground extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible.”
On Saturday, an international news outlet broadcasted coverage of military personnel standing on a wall trying to rescue the wounded people by pulling them from the crush and douse people to protect them from dehydration.
According to a NATO official, at least 20 people died during the last week in and around the airport. While some of them were killed due to gunfire, others died in confluence.
Amid accelerating chaos, some foreign states, including the US and the UK, sent military reinforcement comprised of thousands of soldiers to Afghanistan to support the evacuation operations of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans.
The NATO official aforementioned said, “Our forces are maintaining strict distance from the outer areas of the Kabul airport to prevent any clashes with the Taliban.”
On the other hand, a Taliban member who spoke on the condition of anonymity expressed on Sunday that the group demands complete transparency in foreign forces’ evacuation plans. “Managing chaos outside Kabul airport is a complex task,” the Taliban member added.
