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KABUL: Deadly chaos continued around Kabul’s international airport over the weekend, with a further seven Afghan civilians killed in swelling and disorderly crowds, the British military said on Sunday.
“Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
The British military acknowledged the deaths of seven civilians in the crowds in Kabul. There have been stampedes and crushing injuries in the crowds, especially as Taliban fighters fire into the air to drive away those desperate to get on any flight out of the country.
The seven deaths recorded come as Taliban forces began imposing some semblance of order outside the airport Sunday morning, according to Reuters. People formed orderly lines outside the main gates and crowds were not allowed to gather at the airport perimeter, witnesses said.
Thousands rushed the airport last Monday in the chaos that saw the US try to clear off the runway with low-flying attack helicopters. Several Afghans plunged to their deaths while hanging off the side of a US military cargo plane.
The Biden administration is considering calling on US commercial airlines to provide planes and crews to assist in transporting Afghan refugees once they are evacuated from their country by military aircraft.
The US Transportation Command said on Saturday it had issued a warning order to US carriers on Friday night on the possible activation of the programme. If called upon, commercial airlines would transport evacuees from way stations outside Afghanistan to another country or from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport to US military bases.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s top political leader arrived in Kabul for talks on forming a new government. The presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was confirmed by a Taliban official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the news media.
