Taliban urge people to leave airport in Afghan capital after 12 killed since fall of Kabul

Taliban urge people to leave airport in Afghan capital after 12 killed since fall of Kabul
At least 12 people have been killed in and around Kabul's airport since the Taliban seized Afghanistan's capital. The insurgents have urged people crowded at the gates to go home if they don't have permission to travel.
2 min read
Thousands gathered at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport after rumours circulated that foreign countries are evacuating people even without visas after the Taliban's takeover [source: Getty]

A total of 12 people have been killed in and around the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul, Taliban and NATO officials said, since the Taliban seized the city on Sunday triggering a rush of fearful people trying to leave.

The deaths were caused either by gunshots or in stampedes, the Taliban official said on Thursday, and he urged people still crowded at the gates of the facility to go home if they did not have the legal right to travel.

"We don't want to hurt anyone at the airport," said the Taliban official, who declined to be identified.

World
Live Story

Hundreds of Afghans who lacked any documents or promises of flights continued to gather at Kabul airport on Wednesday night.

The crowds, held at an outer perimeter, surged forward every time Taliban forces opened a gate, prompting the insurgents to rattle off warning shots to drive people back.

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that it was impossible to leave Afghanistan without chaos, as the US pleaded with the victorious Taliban to allow safe passage for people to flee. 

The US is racing against the clock to evacuate tens of thousands of people following the insurgent's lightening offensive across the country.