Taliban seal off Kabul airport as US, allies wound up airlift

The Taliban fighters sealed off Kabul airport on Saturday as the United States and its allies wound up airlift ahead of August 31 deadline.

Taliban forces sealed off Kabul’s airport Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation, as the U.S. and its allies were ending a chaotic airlift that will end their troops’ two decades in Afghanistan. Western leaders acknowledged their withdrawal would mean leaving behind some of their citizens and many locals who helped them over the years, and they vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow local allies to leave after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday’s deadline to withdraw from the country.