Desperate scenes at Kabul airport as Taleban takes over

KABUL • Desperate scenes played out at Kabul's international airport yesterday as thousands rushed to exit Afghanistan after Taleban fighters took control of the capital, with at least five people killed as they tried to force their way onto planes.

One witness, waiting for a flight for more than 20 hours, said it was unclear if the five had been shot or killed in a stampede. In one video on social media, three bodies could be seen on the ground near what appeared to be an airport side entrance. Another witness said he had seen five bodies.

With land borders now under the control of the militant group, the airport is the last remaining exit point, and there are fears that option may close soon.

United States troops fired shots into the air and all commercial flights were cancelled as chaos broke out on the tarmac. Dramatic footage posted on social media showed hundreds of men running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolled down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it.

In other videos, civilians frantically clambered up an already overcrowded and buckling set of airstairs. Crowds watched as those who successfully climbed up the stairs helped others up, while some hung from the stair railings by their hands.

Another post showed men inspecting the body of a person who had allegedly tried to stow away in the undercarriage of an aircraft and fallen to his death.

At one point, flights were halted to clear the tarmac before resuming again. Panicked families with frightened children in tow and laden with luggage were trying to escape the incoming Taleban regime, two decades after the group's harsh rule was toppled by a US-led invasion.

"How can they hold the airport and dictate terms and conditions to Afghans?" asked Ms Rakhsh-anda Jilali, a human rights activist who was trying to get to Pakistan.

"This is our airport, but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty," said Ms Jilali, who added that she had received multiple death threats.

The US State Department said American troops had secured the perimeter of the airport as they evacuate embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who had worked for Washington's interests.

This came as Taleban officials declared the 20-year war over and issued statements aimed at calming the panic that has been building in Kabul with the militants - who ruled from 1996 to 2001 - routing the US-backed Afghan army as foreign forces withdrew.

Just hours after the militants entered Kabul, a top Taleban leader posted a video on Twitter, congratulating his fighters and the nation.

"We have never expected to reach such a victory - we should show humbleness in front of Allah," deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar said in the video.

"Now is the time when we will be tested on how we serve and secure our people, and ensure their good life and future to the best of our ability."

A Taleban official also texted reporters yesterday to say that the group intends to maintain law and order in Kabul, and has even set up helpline numbers for citizens facing any threat.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital city virtually unopposed, saying that he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

"The Taleban (fighters) have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," Mr Ghani said in a statement posted on Facebook, his first since fleeing.

Some local social media users in Kabul branded Mr Ghani, who did not disclose his location, a coward for leaving them in chaos. A tweet from the verified account of the Afghan Embassy in India said: "We are all banging our heads in shame."

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said he had formed a council with other political leaders to coordinate a peaceful transition to a new Taleban government.

It took the Taleban just over a week to seize control of the whole country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the US and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away.

The militants have sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women's rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans. However, many Afghans fear that the Taleban will return to past harsh practices with the imposition of syariah religious law.

Both the United Nations and the US said last week that they had received reports that Taleban fighters were executing surrendering government soldiers.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG, NYTIMES