Situation far from normal at Kabul airport as evacuation deadline nears, reveals satellite imagery

Amid the ongoing evacuations against a deadline set by the Taliban, satellite images show thousands of Afghans camping outside Kabul airport in the hope of getting a chance to leave Afghanistan.

Amid the ongoing evacuations against a deadline set by the Taliban, thousands of Afghans have been camping outside Kabul airport in the hope of getting a chance to leave Afghanistan. Satellite images provided by space firm Planet Labs show that vehicles and crowds continue to throng all possible entrances of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. On Tuesday, the Taliban said they will not allow Afghan nationals to leave the country. “We will not be extending the August 31 deadline. They can take all the people who belong to them. We are not going to let Afghans leave," said Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid. This new diktat issued by the Taliban puts a big question mark on the fate of those still camping outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.