Chaos At The Kabul Airport Reflects The Desperation Afghans Are Feeling

The scenes out of Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul reflect the chaos and desperation the country is facing.

Images from the ground show hundreds if not thousands of Afghans crowding the airport, including the tarmac, in an apparent attempt to flee the country, as NPR's Greg Myre described on Morning Edition.

U.S. forces have set up razor wire to keep the crowd back, and there have been reports of gunfire at or near the airport (NPR has not confirmed the details). The U.S. said Sunday an additional 1,000 troops would head to Kabul to help with evacuation airports, boosting the overall expected numbers to about 6,000 U.S. troops in the country.

The airlift of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people, includes dual Afghan-U.S. citizens as well as Afghans who've helped the U.S., "but it seems many people have just rushed to the airport on their own," Myre reports.

NPR's Michele Kelemen adds that the U.S. State Department says all embassy personnel are safe and at the airport.

Listen to this morning's update here.

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog. [Copyright 2021 NPR]