640 Afghans in US cargo plane; Afghans fall off flying plane in desperate attempt to flee Taliban - Watch
US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III safely evacuated some 640 Afghans from Kabul | Afghans fall off plane (Photo Courtesy: Reuters/Twitter)
As the Taliban set up checkpoints at Kabul, people flooded the Hamid Karzai international airport as reports claimed people clung to the top of aircraft to get out of Afganistan.
The US troops reportedly used Apache helicopters to chase away Afghans swarming the airport as they made a desperate attempt to escape the Taliban.
The Pentagon had earlier closed all military and civilian flights at Kabul airport amid the chaotic scenes as reports said two armed Afghan men were killed.
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The US is seeking to evacuate several embassy personnel including and as many as 30,000 Afghans who are currently fleeing the new regime.
Reports claimed a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III safely evacuated some 640 Afghans from Kabul which is said to be the highest number of people ever flown on the cargo plane.
The chaotic scenes echoed in the US House as Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said: "Afghanistan is lost ... every terrorist around the world is cheering."
According to footage released by Tolo news, people were seen clinging to aUS military transport plane as it taxied on the runway amid the chaos at the airport.
Reuters quoting eyewitnesses added that five people were killed at the airport, however, it is unclear how they died.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden arrived in Washington on Monday cutting short his vacation to address the nation.
The US President said: "I am president of the United States of America and the buck stops with me," adding,"I stand squarely behind my decision."
"After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces," Biden asserted.
(With inputs from Agencies)