Jawad Sukhanyar via Reuters
At least five people have been killed at Kabul airport as hundreds of people were trying to force their way onto planes out of Afghanistan, Reuters reported Monday, citing witnesses.
The rush out of Afghanistan came after the Taliban stormed the capital city on Sunday, causing gridlock and chaos at the airport. All commercial flights out of the airport have been suspended.
A US official told Reuters earlier on Monday that American troops, who had taken control of the airport, fired into the air to scatter the crowd.
It was not clear whether the deaths were caused by gunshots or a stampede, Reuters reported.
"The crowd was out of control," the official told Reuters by phone. "The firing was only done to defuse the chaos."
The video below shows a crowd of people running as gunshots are heard:
-Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) August 16, 2021
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