MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. About 1,500 US citizens and visa holders who want to be evacuated from Afghanistan have gathered outside Kabul’s airport, Reuters reported on Thursday citing a Western official.

According to the official, the area around the airport is filled with people, although the US Embassy in Kabul cautioned them against trying to get into the airport on their own without instructions from the US authorities.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that, according to Washington’s estimates, about 1,500 Americans may remain in Afghanistan.

After the US announced the end of its operation in Afghanistan and the beginning of its troop withdrawal, the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) launched an offensive against government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters entered Kabul without encountering any resistance, establishing full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff.

On August 25-26, the Russian Defense Ministry evacuated over 500 citizens of Russia, the CSTO countries and Ukraine aboard four military transport aircraft on instructions from President Vladimir Putin.