Authorities confirm that the United States is trying to determine the number of Americans still in the country
Following the takeover of the Taliban on Sunday, thousands of Afghans and others attempted to evacuate Afghanistan, causing violence and gunfight at Kabul Airport.
To one point Many According to Afghanistan and others, they tried to grab the outside of an American plane when leaving the airport. Video footage.. Other footage shows that at least one person fell hundreds of feet after the plane took off.
“I saw one grab the plane and collapse when it moved,” a man at the airport didn’t reveal his name, but told The Wall Street Journal on the scene before rushing away.
More videos shared on Twitter showed a crowd of people swarming around a military aircraft on a tarmac.
As of Sunday night, the US Embassy in Kabul had been completely evacuated, State Department Ned Price said, confirming the move to Kabul Airport. According to Price, the border of the airport was guarded by US troops stationed there.
“We can confirm that the safe evacuation of all embassy staff has been completed,” Price said in a statement on Monday. “All embassy staff are located on the grounds of Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the surrounding area is protected by the US military.”
On Monday morning, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that there were still a large number of Americans in Afghanistan.
“We will carry out these evacuation flights after securing the airport for the next few days,” he said. CBS NewsThe White House still wants to evacuate “thousands in total.”
“This includes quite a few Americans,” he added. [the] Country. “
Some have likened the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon by the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1975, ending the Vietnam War. Like Siagon more than 40 years ago, Kabul saw a scene of a U.S. military helicopter flying staff on Sunday.
The Afghan Civil Aviation Bureau announced on Monday that all civil flights to and from Kabul Airport were suspended, urging citizens not to travel there.
On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed that he had fled from Afghanistan to Tajikistan, saying the Taliban had won. A high-ranking Taliban official from inside the presidential residence in Kabul also declared victory.
“The Taliban won in the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their compatriots,” Crab said.
The Epoch Times is seeking additional comments from the State Department.
Jack phillips
Senior reporter
Jack Phillips is a New York-based reporter for The Epoch Times.