US troops fired shots into the air at Kabul airport on Monday as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching a flight out after the Taliban takeover of the country.
“I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air,” a witness said.
Thousands of people were trying to escape Afghanistan’s capital and the feared hardline brand of Islamic rule of the Taliban, with scenes of chaos as crowds gathered at the airport.
“The crowd was out of control,” a US official told Reuters by phone. “The firing was only done to defuse the chaos.”
The Kabul airport authority said in a message: “There will be no commercial flights from Hamid Karzai Airport to prevent looting and plundering. Please do not rush to the airport”.
Witnesses later said that at least five people were killed as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes.
One witness said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede.
There was no official statement on the reported deaths.
The United States had sent 6,000 troops to the airport to fly out embassy personnel as well as Afghans who assisted the United States as interpreters or in other support roles.
The US State Department earlier said that all staff at the country’s embassy in Kabul had evacuated to the international airport.
“We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel,” the Pentagon and State Department said in a joint statement on Sunday.
The United States then released a statement with more than 65 nations urging the Taliban to let Afghans leave the country, warning of accountability for any abuses.
“The United States joins the international community in affirming that Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter.
The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war.
Major airlines were rerouting flights to avoid Afghanistan airspace.
United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they were not using the country’s airspace.
A United spokeswoman said the change affects several of the airline’s US-to-India flights.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed few commercial flights over Afghanistan earlier on Monday but many planes overflying neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.
Airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risks of flying over conflict zones in recent years after two deadly incidents involving surface-to-air missiles.
A Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, and an Ukraine International Airlines jet was downed by Iran’s military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
The restrictions do not apply to US military operations.
Other countries, including Canada, Britain, Germany and France had also advised airlines to maintain an altitude of at least 25,000 feet over Afghanistan, according to website Safe Airspace, which tracks such warnings.
Korean Air Lines said some of its cargo flights were using Afghanistan airspace, though its passenger flights were not.
“Due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are flying our cargo flights at higher altitudes and avoiding flying at lower altitudes,” a spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring the situation and we plan to review shifting our routes if necessary.”
Taiwan’s China Airlines said it was keeping an eye on the situation and would adjust flight paths if needed in accordance with US and European Union airspace instructions. It did not elaborate.
Commercial flights set to land in Afghanistan have also been affected by the chaos on the ground. Emirates has suspended flights to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, until further notice, the airline said on its website.
Source: Khaleej Times
BDST: 1358 HRS, AUG 16, 2021
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