“More than 10,000 people gather at Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuation efforts intensify amid security concerns.”
As the US military works to evacuate personnel and vulnerable Afghans from Kabul, more than 10,000 people are waiting at Hamid Karzai International Airport, desperate for a flight out of Afghanistan. The situation has become increasingly dire, with many people fearing for their lives as the Taliban consolidates power and terrorist threats loom.
The UK Foreign Office has issued a warning about an “ongoing and high threat of terrorist attacks” at the airport, making evacuation efforts even more perilous. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that approximately 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan, and efforts are underway to safely evacuate them.
The World Bank is also under threat, with its security personnel pleading for protection from the British government. While some countries, including France, are preparing to end their evacuation operations in the coming hours, Germany has pledged to continue evacuations for as long as the US does.
Amid these efforts, the situation remains fluid, with officials expressing concern about how many people may be left behind as the August 31 deadline for evacuations approaches. The UK foreign secretary reported that 9,000 British nationals and Afghan allies had been evacuated, but the fate of thousands more remains uncertain.
