Chaos at Hamid Karzai Airport as thousands attempt to flee Afghanistan after Taliban siege

Over the past several weeks, the Taliban has kept Afghanistan on the tip of a sword by creating chaos within the country. Taking over 26 out of the country's 34 provincial cities, the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday. By seeing the scenario all across the nation, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled, abandoning the country. The Taliban invaded the Afghan presidential palace later that day, accompanied by armed militants, where the group's leadership talked to the media. 

The situation at the Kabul Airport

As thousands of Afghans were anxious to leave the country converged on the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, it is seen that the airport has been left in disarray. Dozens of Afghans attempted to catch the final few rescue planes out of the country at the Kabul airport on Monday, resulting in turmoil and disorder. In a frantic attempt to flee the nation, people swarmed the airport and even hung to aircraft on the runway. 

Despite the fact that no commercial aircraft were scheduled to fly on Tuesday, people continued to flock to the terminal. The US military, which was stationed at the airport, halted evacuations in order to clear the runway. 

The sensation of dread among Afghans was captured in videos uploaded on several social media pages. As per those videos, hundreds of teenage Afghans were seen racing on the runway along with the plane moving and hanging to a US military plane as it was prepared to take off from Kabul airport. 

Multiple individuals strapped to the undercarriage of a US military C-17 Globemaster jet fell off the plane immediately after it took off from Kabul airport, according to another video. Similarly, two passengers could be seen falling from the aircraft as it flew into the mountains that surround the Afghan capital. Spectators on the runway were horrified, pointing skyward, staring in astonishment. 

Numerous people were killed and injured in a shooting at Kabul's airport, according to reports quoted by TOLO News. At least three people died by gunfire at the passenger terminal of Kabul's international airport on Monday. The lifeless, wounded bodies were observed laying on the ground outside the international terminal, according to multiple witnesses. 

The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and a slew of other alliance countries are attempting to evacuate their citizens, as well as certain Afghans who used to work with them. 

(Image Credit: AP)