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US orders civilian jets to join Afghan evacuation

22 August 2021 23:40 (UTC +04:00)

The US has enlisted commercial planes to help with the evacuation of people from Afghanistan, APA reports citing BBC.

A Pentagon statement said the 18 aircraft would not fly to Kabul, but would instead help move people transiting in third countries.

Many thousands of Afghans are crowded outside Kabul airport, desperate to flee the country after the Taliban swept to power last week.

At least 20 people have died, a Nato official told Reuters news agency.

But reports suggest the scene is calmer on Sunday than in previous days.

UK armed forces minister James Heappey said the Taliban were now marshalling people into queues at Hamid Karzai International Airport, making the process faster for those hoping to leave.

The UK has airlifted out more than 1,700 people in the past 24 hours, he said, as the situation had improved.

The day before, Sky News's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said that people at the front of the crowd of thousands outside the airport were being "crushed to death", with British soldiers pulling those in most danger from the throng.