KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – AUGUST 18 – 19: Evacuation flights resumed on Wednesday (Aug. 18) and Thursday (Aug. 19) from Kabul airport days after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The airport is relatively calm as security precautions have been increased.
The airport reopened early Tuesday (Aug. 17) after U.S. forces closed it for several hours due to the chaotic situation. Airport security and air traffic control have been taken over by the U.S. military, according to the Pentagon.
64 flights conducted in the last two days from Kabul.
A total of 64 countries signed a joint statement late Sunday calling for the safe and orderly departure of anyone who wants to leave Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s stunning takeover.
Among the countries that signed the joint statement were Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
Thousands of frenzied and desperate Afghans flocked to the airport to flee the country a day after the capital fell to the Taliban forces.
The Taliban made rapid military advances in recent weeks and took control of the capital on Sunday as Afghan government forces fled or surrendered. Former President Ashraf Ghani also left the country.