Taliban urges undocumented people to leave Kabul airport

Kabul, Afghanistan | Xinhua | A Taliban member in charge of security outside Afghanistan’s Kabul airport on Thursday announced to a crowd outside the airport that only people with traveling documents will be allowed access to the airport.

“A man who claims to be in charge of airport security told us that all people who do not have legal documents must leave the gate as soon as possible,” Mohammad Jamil told Xinhua by phone.

Jamil, who has been waiting to access the airport since early Wednesday has no passport, just holding an Afghan identity card, said he rushed to the airport after hearing that foreign planes were airlifting people and evacuating any person who wanted to leave Kabul.

On Sunday night, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country, as the Taliban fighters entered the national capital and took control of Kabul.

On Sunday, the security forces failed to stop people entering the airport building and runways. On early Monday, the Taliban took control of the airport and agreed to provide safe passage for people who hold documents.

The U.S. forces started to evacuate diplomats and Afghans who worked for them early Sunday.

The evacuation flights continued as of Thursday morning and would continue before the end of August, according to sources.

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Xinhua