Several Deaths Reported At Kabul Airport As Afghans Try To Cling On To Departing U.S. Jet

Several deaths were reported amid chaotic scenes at the Afghan airport as U.S. forces resorted to aerial firing and using low-flying helicopters to disperse thousands of Afghan nationals who had crowded the tarmac in a desperate attempt to catch a flight out of the country, just a day after the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan’s capital.

Key Facts

Local media reports showed people running alongside and clinging on to the side of a departing U.S. Air Force C-17 plane as it took off from the runway only to plunge to their deaths after the aircraft gained altitude, according to New York Times journalist Christiaan Triebert.

Earlier in the day, witnesses told Reuters that at least five people were killed in Kabul Airport, but it’s unclear if these deaths are the result of stampede-like conditions or aerial firing by U.S. forces.

All commercial flights have been suspended from Kabul airport with only military aircraft being allowed to operate, according to a notice issued by U.S. officials.