Evacuation flights resume as Biden defends Afghanistan pullout

Military evacuation flights resume as Joe Biden says he ‘stands squarely’ behind decision to withdraw US troops.

Evacuation flights from Afghanistan have resumed a day after the Taliban’s military takeover triggered panic in Kabul and thousands mobbed the city’s international airport in a desperate attempt to flee. A Western security official told Reuters news agency on Tuesday that the Kabul airport’s tarmac and runway – which troops from the United States control – were now clear of crowds. The official said military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan have started taking off. At least seven people died in Monday’s chaos, included several people who clung to the sides of a jet as it took off.