Five killed at Kabul airport as Afghans try to flee Taliban takeover: Witnesses

At least five people were killed at Kabul’s airport on Monday as Afghans raced to flee the country while the Taliban consolidated its grip on the country, according to witnesses cited by local agencies.

One witness said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede.

Officials at the US Central Command weren’t immediately available for comment.

A US official told local agencies earlier that forces fired in the air at the airport to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac.

“The crowd was out of control,” the official told local agencies by phone. “The firing was only done to defuse the chaos.”

Hundreds of Afghans have jammed the airport trying to get out of the country after Taliban insurgents entered the capital on Sunday.

US troops are in charge at the airport, helping in the evacuation of embassy staff and other civilians.

Agencies