The abrupt closure of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport this morning has confused the schedules of several remaining airlines flying to Afghanistan.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Afghanistan has said that civilians at Hamid Karzai International Airport or Kabul Airport will be “closed until further notice” and that Kabul’s airspace has been “released to the military”.
He warned that all “migration planes would be diverted” and that “any traffic passing through the Kabul airspace would be out of control”.
The United States has announced it will take control of Kabul airport to facilitate the safe departure of civilian and military aircraft from Afghanistan.
The United States has said it will expand its force to nearly 6,000 troops. The Taliban militants have been fighting for control of Kabul and securing control of Afghanistan.
The U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense said in a joint statement that in the coming days, the United States will work to evacuate thousands of American citizens, as well as staff working locally for the U.S. embassy in Kabul, and their families.
The United States has deported about 500 staff members from the US embassy in Kabul to Afghanistan today.
Approximately 4,000 U.S. workers, including U.S. citizens and Afghans working at the embassy, have yet to leave the country, according to reports.
