According to the Taliban, the situation throughout Afghanistan has calmed down today
At least five people have been killed at Kabul airport after hundreds of people tried to force their way into planes taking off from the Afghan capital, eyewitnesses were quoted as saying by Reuters.
An eyewitness said he saw the bodies of five people who were taken away by car. Another eyewitness said it was unclear whether the victims were shot or simply trampled.
U.S. troops controlling the airport had previously fired into the air to disperse the crowd, a U.S. official said.
There is no official comment on what happened so far.
All passenger flights at Kabul airport have been canceled because of the total chaos after the Taliban took power, airport officials said, quoted by AFP and TASS.
The message also called for crowds not to gather at the airport.
“There will be no passenger flights from Hamid Karzai Airport to prevent looting. Please do not head here to the airport,” the airport authorities warned.
Major airlines are diverting their flights to evade Afghan airspace after the rebels took control of the presidential palace in Kabul, Reuters reported.
United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have said they do not use the country’s airspace. A United spokeswoman said it affected some of the airline’s flights from the United States to India.
The specialized site FlightRadar24, which monitors the situation of planes in real time, reports few passenger flights over Afghanistan at 3.00 am Greenwich today, but many planes fly over neighboring Pakistan and Iran.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai’s Flydubai announced earlier today that they had canceled their flights to Kabul until further notice.
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According to the Taliban, the situation throughout Afghanistan has calmed down today. This came after extremists declared the war over a day after capturing the capital, and Western countries are trying to evacuate their citizens from the chaotic airport in Kabul, Reuters reported.
“Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have seen the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices over the past 20 years,” Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naim told Qatar’s Al Jazeera, adding: “Thank God the war in the country is over “.
Al Jazeera television aired footage of Taliban commanders at the presidential palace, surrounded by dozens of gunmen.
Naim said the form of the new government in Afghanistan would soon become clear, adding that the Taliban did not want to remain isolated. The spokesman called for peaceful international relations.
“We achieved what we wanted – the freedom of our country and the independence of its people,” Naim said.
“We will not allow anyone to use our land to attack anyone else, and we do not want to hurt other people,” the spokesman added.
The Taliban already control 90 percent of government buildings in Kabul, and fighters have been ordered to protect property from damage. The central streets of the capital were deserted early this morning.
A State Department spokesman said this morning that all US embassy staff, including Ambassador Ross Wilson, had been transferred to Kabul airport, mainly by helicopter, where he was awaiting evacuation, and the US flag had been removed from the diplomatic mission building.
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