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British troops confirmed that seven Afghan civilians had died in a chaotic scene at Kabul’s international airport on Saturday.
In and near the airport, we are in the midst of reports that at least 20 people have died in the past week.
It is unknown whether the seven people who died on Saturday were killed in a crowd accident, heat, or other causes.
“Our sincere idea lies in the family of seven Afghan civilians who died sadly in the Kabul crowd,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Sunday.
“The situation on the ground is still very harsh, but we do everything we can to manage it as safely and reliably as possible.”
On Saturday, fully combat-equipped British and Western troops sought to control a crowd large enough to be seen in satellite imagery pushing into Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The army was seen trying to save people in front of a crowd crushed by barriers. They also took away some sweaty and pale.
When temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), soldiers sprayed water from hoses or gave bottled water to the gathered people and poured them into their heads.
The Taliban reportedly fired in the air, beating people with batons and continuing to dominate the crowd.
Lieutenant Colonel Justin Baker of the 16th Air Assault Brigade in the United Kingdom said he believed this was “a thing no one had ever experienced.”
British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said overcrowding at the airport was hampering the evacuation process.
In the article published in Sunday email“We have no time to lose to keep the majority of people waiting,” Wallace said from Afghanistan if US President Joe Biden had a deadline at the end of the month.
Wallace said the United States would receive Britain’s “full support” if the troops could stay in Afghanistan for a long time, and Britain was looking for ways to maintain its presence in Afghanistan after the troops left. He said he was.
Army Minister James Heappey said Foreign Minister Dominic Raab had discussed the extension of the deadline with US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other US officials.
Since Kabul came under Taliban control, the number of British troops and civilians handling evacuees in Kabul has increased from less than 300 to more than 1,000, and the United States currently has about 6,000 soldiers in Kabul. ..
The Dutch Ministry of Defense also said it would increase its military presence in Afghanistan on Sunday.
PA and Associated Press contributed to this report.
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