Tear gas, guns used as crowd control at Kabul airport


A day after the Pentagon claimed to be restoring order at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, military personnel on Friday used tear gas and fired guns into the air as means of controlling the large and chaotic crowd, The Wall Street Journal reports. It was not immediately clear as to what country the soldiers were from.
Troops are also moving just outside the airport's perimeter, surrounded by Taliban, "to disperse crowds and clear the way for families struggling to get in," the Journal reports. To reach the airport, Afghans and foreigners must pass through dangerous Taliban checkpoints, where fighters are firing into the air and using violence to control the sea of people.
According to German military officials, getting people through Kabul, past the checkpoints, and inside the airport "has proven immensely difficult," per the Journal. The militant group is reportedly using the checkpoints to search for "key individuals from the ousted government."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One desperate Afghan, who worked for a U.S. contractor and has an approved U.S. Special Immigrant Visa, reportedly abandoned his airport evacuation attempts Friday morning after an all-night melee, in which he carried his children on his shoulders so as to prevent them from being crushed, left him exhausted.
"We were stuck between the aggression of the Taliban and U.S. forces in the gate," the man told the Journal. "I don't know if I will ever be able to get out." Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Who owns Gaza? Israel's occupation plans
The Explainer Egypt, Israel and Britain have ruled the beleaguered territory
-
Savages: a tragi-comedy set in a 'quirky handcrafted world'
The Week Recommends This new animated film by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Claude Barras is undeniably political, but it has a hopeful message
-
Why 'faceless bots' are interviewing job hunters
In The Spotlight Artificial intelligence is taking over a crucial part of recruitment
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
US and Japan strike trade deal
Speed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza
Speed Read Countries including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K. have released a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing attacks
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months