Ahead of August 31 deadline, Taliban deploy extra forces around Kabul airport

The Taliban deployed extra forces near Kabul airport on Saturday, ahead of the United States' withdrawal deadline on August 31.

The Taliban deployed extra forces around Kabul's airport Saturday to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive US-led airlift wound 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 Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces. Areas, where large crowds of people have gathered over the past two weeks in hopes of fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover, were largely empty.