Thousands of Afghans Rush to the Airport in Kabul

The collapse of the Afghan government on Sunday brought an end to America’s failed 20-year experiment in nation building. It also saw the humanitarian crisis that had been brewing this summer, as Taliban have seized province after province, boil over. Many of the displaced had fled to Kabul, but when insurgents moved into the Afghan capital on Sunday, refugees had nowhere to go. This led to a surge toward the airport, creating a chaotic scene of desperate families trying to find a way out of a nation on the verge of a return to extremist rule.

One Way Out

Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport.

The push to evacuate Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover resulted in at least seven deaths at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, according to the Associated Press.

Over the Wall

A girl with a pink backpack is seen being hoisted over a concrete barrier at the Kabul airport. The United Nations reported last week that of the more than 250,000 people who have fled Afghanistan since the end of May, 80 percent were women and children.

Fragile Cargo

Afghan families wait by the luggage conveyor belt at the Kabul airport.

The Eye of the Taliban

Taliban members seen near the Hamid Karzai Airpost in Kabul on Sunday.

As recently as Wednesday, U.S. officials were reported to have believed it would take another 60-90 days for the Taliban to regain control of Afghanistan. The group’s leaders were in the presidential palace, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was out of the country, by Sunday afternoon.

The Last Gasp of America’s Military Presence in Afghanistan

A U.S. soldier points his gun toward an Afghan passenger at the Kabul airport. Thousands of American troops were sent into Kabul last week to help clear out the U.S. embassy. They secured the airport on Sunday night to ensure the Taliban didn’t interfere with the evacuation.

The Tarmac

Afghan people sit as they wait to leave the Kabul airport. As of Monday, it’s unclear how long the U.S. military will continue to secure the airport to faciliate evacuations.

Fleeing by Air

Afghan people climb up on a plane and sit by the door as they wait at the Kabul airport. Footage has shown Afghan civilians standing on the top of jets, and chasing after a U.S. Air Force plane taxi-ing down the runway as they try to flee the Taliban-controlled city.

Waiting to Evacuate

Afghan people sit along the tarmac as they wait to leave the Kabul airport.

Locked and Loaded

U.S. soldiers take up their positions as they secure the airport in Kabul.

Though troops were sent into Kabul to facillitate the evacuation of the U.S. embassy, President Biden emphasized that the Taliban’s takeover would not influence his decision to end America’s military presence in the nation. “One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country,” the president said on Saturday.

Tarmac Medic

A volunteer carries an injured man as other people can be seen waiting at the Kabul airport.

While U.S. officials said Monday that seven people have been killed at the airport while trying to flee the Taliban, Afghanistan’s TOLOnews reported that 20 have died trying to escape.

Nothing Left

An Afghan child walks near military uniforms as he and others wait to leave the Kabul airport.

The chaos at the airport is the result of how quickly the Taliban were able to take control of Afghanistan’s capital city. Though few could have anticipated how rapidly the nation fell, President Biden has been criticized for failing to act with enough urgency to ensure safe passage out of the nation for the thousands of Afghan citizens who aided the U.S. military over the past 20 years.