KABUL: The Taliban encouraged Afghans waiting outside Kabul airport in the hope of escaping the country to return home on Thursday, saying they did not want to injure anybody. This comes a day after Taliban militants opened fire on demonstrators, killing three people, according to witnesses.
On Afghanistan’s Independence Day, the United States and other Western nations continued to evacuate their citizens and part of their Afghan personnel from the airport, perhaps igniting further anti-Islamist rallies.
While Kabul has been relatively peaceful since Taliban troops entered on Sunday following a week of astonishing victories across the nation, the airport has been a shambles as people frantically sought a way out of the Afghan capital.
According to a NATO and Taliban spokesman, 12 individuals have been killed in and near the airport since Sunday. According to the Taliban source, the deaths were caused by gunshots or stampedes.
People who do not have the legal right to travel should return home, he said. “We don’t want to injure anyone at the airport,” the Taliban official, who did not want to be named, added.
According to a Western security officer, some 8,000 individuals have been airlifted out since Sunday. The airport is under the control of the US military, but Taliban militants patrol beyond its gated and walled perimeter.
Witnesses say Taliban militants barred passengers from entering the airport compound on Wednesday.
“It’s a total calamity. The Taliban fired into the air, pushed people, and beat them with AK-47s “On Wednesday, one individual attempting to flee stated.
According to a Taliban spokesman, the gathering was dispersed by commanders and troops firing into the air. Witnesses reported that the situation had calmed down on Thursday.
The US agreed to withdraw its soldiers in exchange for a Taliban promise that Afghanistan would not be used to conduct terrorist strikes under a deal reached by former President Donald Trump’s administration last year.
As they withdrew, the Taliban also promised not to attack Western forces.
President Joe Biden said U.S. soldiers would stay until all Americans had been evacuated, even if that meant remaining past the US deadline of August 31.
The Taliban have been portraying themselves as moderates, claiming that they have evolved since their leadership from 1996 to 2001, when they severely limited women’s rights, performed public executions, and desecrated old Buddhist sculptures.
They now declare that they desire peace, that they would not seek vengeance against former adversaries, and that they will respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law.
However, their assertions are met with significant scepticism.