Commotion at Kabul airport-5 dies in the US troops firing-Taliban retreats-people fly with wheels

Picture courtesy: NDTV

The visuals from Kabul airport resembled a chaotic bus stand more than an airport. A parked aircraft at Kabul airport is surrounded by a sea of people who are pushing and fighting to get inside the cabin from the only ladder connected to the front door.

There is so much fear of the Taliban among the people of Afghanistan that due to lack of space in the plane, some people started flying with the wheels and after a while their bodies were recovered from the roofs of the house.

The US troops at the airport fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd this morning. Five people died in the firing. The US military is taking over control of air traffic to evacuate American and allied staff. Other countries are also evacuating their staff including the UK

But commercial flights have been suspended, stranded hundreds of Afghans and other foreign nationals. The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority asked all transit aircraft to reroute, adding any transit through Kabul airspace would be uncontrolled, news agency Reuters reported. An Air India aircraft tasked to fly to Afghanistan to bring out people will no longer be able to go there too, sources have said.

Air India flights coming from the US are likely to be re-routed since the Afghan airport is closed.

The Taliban claimed victory after the government collapsed on Sunday. President Ashraf Ghani has fled out of the country.

The Taliban returned to rule after quit of US troops and other countries after 20 years. American President defended the quit saying American presence in the other country's civil conflict is not justified.

The Taliban leaders are reaching today evening at Kabul from Doha for further proceedings.