Scenes of chaos were seen at Kabul airport as hundreds of desperate Afghans, foreign diplomats, and officials tried to flee the country.
Strife erupted in the terminal among some of those who did not get a seat on flights, with commercial departures abruptly stopped on Sunday.
As night fell, several explosions were heard in the capital of Afghanistan – and locals said gunfires could be heard at the airport.
In a warning, the US embassy warned that “the security situation in Kabul is changing rapidly” – and US citizens in the city were advised to protect the place.
The Pentagon has announced plans to deploy 1,000 more troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who did jobs for them, with many more in waiting line.
Hamid Karzai International Airport is now the centre point of departure from the country. Videos across social media shows how hundreds of people attempted to board a plane to leave the country. As per reports over five people were also killed.
However, a NATO official declared that now only military aircrafts are allowed to operate on the runway.
In a joint statement, the US State Department and the Department of Defense said they had completed “a series of steps” to secure the airport, and this would include taking over air traffic control.
A US official has since added “the majority of foregin diplomatic personnel are now from Kabul”.
More than 60 nations issued a joint statement saying Afghans and international citizens wishing to leave the country must have allowed it.
Senior U.S. officials consider deployment of troops will be able to maintain safety at the airport long enough to relocate Americans and their partners, but the fate of those who do not enter the terminal is far from certain.
