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16th Aug 2021

US troops kill armed men at Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee Taliban

Charlie Herbert

Kabul airport

Thousands have been converging at the city’s airport in chaotic scenes.

US troops shot and killed two armed men at Kabul’s international airport according to a US official. It’s as huge swathes of people attempt to make it on to flights and escape the city following its takeover by Taliban forces.

According to the official, the armed men approached the US troops who had been deployed at the airport to provide security and assist American citizens and other individuals in departing Afghanistan.

Few details are available about what then happened between the men, who have not yet been identified.

According to the Wall Street Journal, witnesses reported seeing three bloodied bodies, lying facedown on the ground outside the terminal building at Kabul airport.

American troops have taken over control of the airport to facilitate the massive evacuation of foreign diplomats and citizens from the Afghan capital after the city fell to the Taliban over the weekend.

Thousands of desperate citizens have been flocking to the airport to escape.

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