The runway at Kabul’s airport is free for take-off and landing again, according to a tweet by NATO’s representative in Afghanistan, indicating evacuation efforts can resume on Tuesday, after a day of confusion and crowds amid the Taliban takeover.
“I see airplanes landing and taking off,” wrote Stefano Pontecorvo on his Twitter feed.
Flights had to be suspended on Monday amid chaos at the airport. Masses of people have crowded the airport, which they see as the only way to escape Afghanistan after Taliban forces took effective control of the country on Sunday.
The crowds – which included embassy staff, local hires, foreign nationals and many who simply fear that the Taliban will impose a repressive Islamist rule – spilled out onto the runways on Monday, crowding any plane that landed and making arrivals and departures impossible.
Images circulated online of planes full of Afghan refugees taking off after officials decided not to try to keep them out. There were also reports of people falling to their deaths after they lost their grip while clinging to the outside of departing planes.
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But US forces, which still control parts of the airport, are seeking to maintain order. Both local US representatives and US President Joe Biden have warned of repercussions if the US forces at the airport are targeted.
The Taliban ruled the bulk of Afghanistan for about five years at the end of the 20th century. During that time, they enforced a strictly Islamist society, which meant most women were banned from public life and men could be punished for not displaying enough piety. Perceived vices, such as alcohol and Western music, were banned.
Although the Taliban have said they will not be as strict after routing the Western-backed government in a lightning series of offensives in the last two weeks, few believe them and are not willing to take their chances under a renewed Taliban regime.
While some Western governments have vowed to try to bring home interpreters and other Afghan locals who have helped them, it is not clear if there is enough time or space to get them all out. Many people at the airport have no papers, so it’s impossible to tell most people’s status.
Furthermore, it’s impossible to tell if people seeking evacuation will be able to reach the airport. CNN broadcast images of Taliban fighters setting up a perimeter around the airport, allegedly only allowing through people with valid travel documents.
According to the report, people are still trying to force their way in, but Taliban forces are working to push them back.
Multiple countries are seeking to pull out their nationals amid the uncertainty, though the chaos at the airport is making that difficult. A German plane had to depart with only seven evacuees because of the breakdown in security.
India evacuated its embassy in Kabul early on Tuesday, with an Indian Air Force flight carrying 140 Indians, including the ambassador along with staff members and paramilitary guards, the state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported.
Other countries are petitioning neighbours to try and help get their nationals out. Nepal has written to several governments for aid in evacuating its citizens, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Around 1,500 Nepalis work in western missions and UN agencies, especially as security guards in western embassies in Kabul and UN bodies, with an unknown number working in other parts of Afghanistan, according to the government.
