19:11 22/08/2021
The Taliban fired into the air and used rubber batons to force people to line up outside Kabul airport on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after seven people were killed in a stampede at its entrance.
On Sunday, there were no major injuries as gunmen overpowered crowds and forced people into long lines, witnesses said.
Britain's Ministry of Defense said seven Afghans were killed in clashes near the airport on Saturday as thousands of people desperately tried to leave, a week after the Islamic militant group seized control of the country.
Sky News showed footage of soldiers standing on top of the airport wall on Saturday trying to pull out the injured and spraying the crowd with water to prevent them from dehydrating in the hot temperatures.
"Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging, but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely as possible," the ministry said in a statement.
A NATO official said at least 20 people have died in the past seven days in and around the airport. Some were shot and others crushed to death by the crowd, witnesses said.
Panicked Afghans have tried to flee the country, fearing reprisals and the imposition of a harsh version of Islamic law, which the Sunni Muslim group practiced when it was in power two decades ago.
Taliban leaders, who have sought to appear more moderate since taking over Kabul last Sunday, have begun talks on forming a government.
The United States and other foreign countries, including Britain, have sent several thousand troops to manage evacuations of foreign nationals and threatened Afghans, but have stayed away from areas outside the airport./VOA
Source of information @TvKlan: Read more at: www.botasot.al
