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Afghanistan: Civilians fall to their death from military jet in attempts to flee

The Kabul airport in Afghanistan witnessed a stampede on Monday as thousands of Afghans stormed it in a desperate attempt to flee the country after the Taliban took over power.

• August 17, 2021

The Kabul airport in Afghanistan witnessed a stampede on Monday as thousands of Afghans stormed it in a desperate attempt to flee the country after the Taliban took over power.

At least seven people were killed on Monday as Afghans fell to their deaths while clinging to the side of a U.S. military jet rescuing nationals.

Videos surfaced of Afghans running alongside aircraft, trying to get on to the plane leaving the country. At least two people were seen in a video falling from the fuselage and landing gear of a U.S. Air Force jet. A separate video showed three bodies on the ground near the side entrance of the airport, dead. 

Sky News reported that U.S. cargo plane Reach 871, a C-17 Globemaster III evacuated 640 Afghan refugees to safety in Qatar on Monday, carrying more than five-time maximum capacity. 

Aljazeera reported that Senior U.S. military officials confirmed seven people dead, including several who fell from the flight. The report also added that the Taliban tried to stop people from getting into the terminal of Kabul airport and have been shooting to keep people away.

The U.S. began its incursion into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, in this time, over $2.26 trillion was spent in Afghanistan, the Costs of War Project at Brown University said.

On Monday, President Joe Biden spoke on the ongoing military evacuation from Afghanistan, saying in a televised address that he has “learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”

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