The evacuation of thousands of Western and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan continues amid a charged atmosphere with repeated shooting incidents to disperse crowds at Kabul Airport, while Washington acknowledged that the Taliban is facilitating the arrival of Americans to the airport.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Afghanistan reported that the US forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of crowds in front of the Kabul Military Airport, from which foreign nationals and Afghans with travel visas are evacuated, led by those who were working with foreign forces and diplomatic missions.

In turn, Reuters news agency quoted an official in the Taliban movement that its gunmen fired in the air at Kabul airport with the aim of dispersing the crowds, not to harm civilians trying to enter the airport to travel.

Reuters also reported, quoting an official in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), that at least 17 civilians were injured in a stampede that occurred yesterday, Wednesday, near the gate of Kabul Airport, while some countries evacuated their diplomats and nationals.

The official said that some Afghans are seeking to leave after the Taliban took control of Kabul last Sunday, despite warnings not to gather in or around the airport except for those with travel visas.

The US forces closed the military airport for some time last Monday, after chaos broke out in which Afghan civilians were killed by bullets or because of the stampede, but the airport was reopened on the same day, to resume after that flights operated by many countries.

Austin (left) and Millie during a press conference on developments in Afghanistan (French)

A stable situation and the Taliban are cooperating

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said on Wednesday that the security situation at Kabul Airport is stable.

He indicated in a press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Taliban militants do not interfere in US operations, but they help facilitate the passage of US citizens into the airport.

For his part, Austin said that the goal of his forces is to raise the ability to evacuate from Afghanistan, and indicated that they had not recorded any contact with Taliban fighters, stressing that the US forces have a moral obligation to help Afghans who cooperated with the United States.

Simultaneously, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said that the number of American soldiers at Kabul Airport is currently 4,500, and that 700 have arrived in the past 24 hours, noting that hundreds of others will arrive later in Kabul.

In the same context, US President Joe Biden said that the Taliban is facilitating the evacuation of Americans and foreigners from Kabul, but he made it clear that his country's forces are facing difficulties in removing the Afghan citizens who cooperated with them and want to leave Afghanistan.

As for the commander of the British armed forces, General Nick Carter, he said yesterday, Wednesday, that the United Kingdom is cooperating with the Taliban on the ground to provide security in their locations, noting that the movement helps in evacuations from the airport and keeps the streets of Kabul very calm and safe, as he put it.

US soldiers at the military section of Kabul International Airport (Reuters)

Evacuations

The Pentagon said that during the past 24 hours, 18 C-17 aircraft evacuated 2,000 people from Kabul, including 325 Americans.

For its part, Reuters news agency reported that a Western official had evacuated about 5,000 diplomats, aid workers, security staff and Afghans from Kabul.

The Western official said that military planes and special flights will continue the evacuations from Kabul around the clock, adding that eliminating chaos outside Kabul airport is a challenge.

In this context, the British ambassador to Afghanistan said that his team evacuated about 700 people last Tuesday, while the German Foreign Minister said that his country had evacuated 500 people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, Wednesday, that 552 Turkish citizens had been evacuated from Kabul, while Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that his country had taken the necessary measures in order not to endanger the lives of Turkish soldiers there.

Akar explained that air traffic in Kabul has returned to normal, noting that in the last two days, 62 flights have taken off from the airport of the Afghan capital.

Satellite images of Kabul Airport showed the continuation of the evacuations, which were suspended on Monday, for some time after thousands of Afghans stormed the airport runway.

The photos also showed the runway empty of passengers wishing to leave the country, as well as the presence of military planes stationed in the military part of the airport, which is located on the northern side, while on the southern side or the civilian part controlled by the Taliban, the pictures showed cars lining up at its entrance.

BREAKING – Situation outside Kabul Airport, #Afghanistan is escalating.

Smoke and stun grenades in use although unsure who they were by.

pic.twitter.com/FZ7x4XG2Xx

— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) August 18, 2021

scattered on the ground

Meanwhile, journalists have documented in video clips scenes from outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai airport of Afghan civilians seeking to leave Afghanistan.

The clips show hundreds of Afghans gathering on the floor of Kabul Airport, hoping to get out of the country.

A media source said that the scene was captured yesterday evening, Wednesday, from inside the safe area of ​​Kabul Airport, near the military side of Hamid Karzai International Airport.


Calm in Kabul

In the Afghan capital, the streets seemed calm a few days after the Taliban took control of the city last Sunday.

Pictures showed a flow of traffic, as well as a heavy security presence of Taliban militants, especially in the Green Zone, which includes a number of foreign embassies and government institutions.

Some young people expressed their hope that young people and women would continue their education in the presence of the Taliban, while the Taliban reiterated that they would respect freedoms within the framework of Islamic law.

Outside Kabul, Reuters reported that 3 people were killed when Taliban gunmen fired on protesters, while the movement did not comment on the incident.