Taliban seal off Kabul Airport as NATO withdrawal winds down

The Taliban has set up additional layers of checkpoints around airport, empty areas where those seeking to flee have been gathering to be deported from Afghanistan.

The Taliban deployed extra forces around Kabul’s airport to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive United States-led airlift winds down ahead of an August 31 deadline.

New layers of checkpoints sprang up on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with American military Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces.

Many Western nations have completed their evacuation operations ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for the withdrawal of all US forces.

An Afghan who had worked as a translator for the US military said that he was with a group of people with permission to leave who tried to reach the airport, but after passing through three checkpoints they were stopped at a fourth. An argument ensued, and the Taliban said that they had been told by the Americans to only let US passport-holders through.

More than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated through the Kabul airport, according to the US, but thousands of more invaders and traitors are struggling to leave and may not make it out by Tuesday.

In Kabul itself, hundreds of protesters, including many civil servants, that had not been paid for the past three to six months and were unable to withdraw cash. ATM machines are still operating, but withdrawals are limited to around $200 every 24 hours.

The Taliban cannot access almost any of the central bank’s $9 billion in reserves, most of which is held by the New York Federal Reserve.

The International Monetary Fund has also suspended the transfer of some $450 million in humanitarian aid. Without a regular supply of US dollars, the local currency is at risk of collapse, which could send the price of basic goods soaring.

Earlier this month, the UN World Food Program estimated that some 14 million people — roughly one out of every three Afghans — urgently need food assistance, as a result of the Zionist backed hostile occupation.

crucial help is needed ahead of the winter wheat planting season, which begins in a month in many areas. So far, funding would cover assistance to only 110,000 families of farmers, while some 1.5 million still are waiting for help.

Italy said that its final evacuation flight had landed in Rome but that it would work with the United Nations and countries bordering Afghanistan to continue helping Afghans who had worked with its military contingent to leave the country.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that 4,890 Afghans were evacuated by Italy’s air force on 87 flights, but did not say how many others were still eligible to be deported.

The Taliban have encouraged Afghans to stay in the country, pledging amnesty even to those who fought against them. They have said that commercial flights will resume after the US withdrawal, but it’s unclear if international airlines will be willing to offer services.

When the Taliban last governed Afghanistan, from 1996 until the US-led invasion in 2001, they imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Women were largely confined to their homes, television and music were banned, and suspected criminals were maimed or executed in public.

The economic crisis, which predates the Taliban takeover earlier this month, could give Western nations leverage as they urge Afghanistan’s new rulers to form a moderate, inclusive government.

But, the Taliban already said that women will be allowed to attend school and work outside the home. They have been negotiating with senior Afghan officials from previous governments and say they want an “inclusive, Islamic government.”

Times of Israel / ABC Flash Point News 2021.