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Taliban send taskforce to establish order at Kabul airport — TV

The Taliban said earlier in the day that all flights from Kabul’s airport had been cancelled in a bid to establish order

CAIRO, August 22. /TASS/. The Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) has sent a special taskforce to Kabul’s airport to establish order, Al Jazeera said on Sunday citing Afghan sources.

According to the source, the taskforce is tasked to dispel crowds of people flocking around the airport in a hope to leave Afghanistan amid the evacuation of US nationals.

The Taliban said earlier in the day that all flights from Kabul’s airport had been cancelled in a bid to establish order. Local media report that the airport was closed for 48 hours.

Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, it was the US said that asked thee Taliban not to let people to the airport. "The Americans asked us not to let people inside the airport. <…> We expect that civil flight to and from the Kabul airport will be resumed within days," the television channel quoted a Taliban representative.

Around 800 civilian employees from NATO countries are currently ensuring the airport’s round-the-clock operation. US, British and Turkish troops are maintaining order while thousands of people have gathered at the airport. The military used tear gas and shot in the air to disperse crowds from the runway. People clang to the landing gears and aircraft fuselages to flee from Kabul.

According to the latest data, at least 20 people died in such incidents during the week. Radicals blame the United States for the situation at the airport.

After the Biden administration had announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. At present, Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff.