At least 20 deaths in and around Kabul airport in past week, says NATO official

An official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Sunday “at least 20” people have lost their lives in the past seven days in and around the Kabul airport during evacuation efforts following the Taliban regime seizing power in Afghanistan on August 15, according to Reuters. Fearing persecution at the hands of the insurgents, Afghans have swamped Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in a bid to leave their country.

“The crisis outside the Kabul airport in unfortunate. Our focus is to evacuate all foreign nationals from the city as soon as we can. Our forces are keeping a safe distance from the outer areas of the airport to prevent any possible clashes with the Taliban,” the official, who chose to remain anonymous, further said.