1 Plane, Thousands In Queue In Desperate Scenes At Kabul Airport

New Delhi:  A video of hundreds of Afghans jostling to climb into an aeroplane to fly out of the country amid the Taliban’s return may become the latest defining image of desperation in a war-torn country.

A parked aircraft at Kabul airport is surrounded by a sea of people who are pushing and fighting to get inside the cabin from the only ladder connected to the front door. Many are also seen walking around on the tarmac and making no effort to find a plane to climb in, a sign they may have given up any hope of leaving.

The visuals from Kabul airport resembles a chaotic bus stand more than an airport. Barbed wires surround the tarmac at some areas, behind which a line of Afghans stare at the few remaining US troops who are guarding the airport.

The US troops at the airport fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd this morning. “I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air,” a witness told news agency AFP.