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Chaos and Desperation Reign at Kabul Airport as Afghans Try to Evacuate Taliban Takeover

HeadlineAug 23, 2021

In Afghanistan, violence and chaos continue around the Kabul airport as the U.S. scrambles to evacuate more people. Seven Afghans were killed Saturday in a stampede, while the Taliban were seen Sunday beating back people who were attempting to flee. NATO said at least 20 people died at, or around, the airport over the past week. Harrowing video showed an infant being passed to U.S. marines over a barbed wire fence Friday in a move of desperation. The baby has since been reunited with its father. Meanwhile, an Afghan evacuee gave birth to a baby girl on board a U.S. evacuation aircraft shortly after the plane landed at an air base in Germany. President Biden addressed the ongoing evacuations on Sunday.

President Joe Biden: “We’re bringing our citizens, NATO allies, Afghanis who have helped — in fact, has helped us in the war effort. But we have a long way to go, and a lot could still go wrong.”

Biden also suggested the U.S. may have to extend its presence beyond August 31 to continue evacuations. The military has evacuated 28,000 people since last weekend.

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