US troops fire shots into air at Kabul Airport as crowd mobs tarmac; 5 killed

KABUL: At least five people were killed amid reports of heavy gunfire at Kabul airport, where US troops fired shots into the air today as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching a flight out of the country following the Taliban's takeover.

'They are firing lots of shots into the air, I feel very scared here," a witness told an International media outlet.

Commercial flights out of Kabul were canceled on Monday due to chaotic scenes at the airport.

According to a message sent to reporters by the Kabul airport authority, to prevent

looting and plundering, there will be no commercial flights from Hamid Karzai Airport.

"Please do not make a hasty trip to the airport," it added.

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The development comes just a day after the Taliban took control of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city, and declared the war to be over.

There are also reports that President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, claiming he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Afghanistan's government collapsed on Sunday, when Taliban militiamen swept into Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and took over the presidential palace, two decades after being deposed in a US-led invasion, with little resistance from Afghan government forces.

Following the collapse of the Afghan government, the US military has taken over security at Kabul International Airport in order to carry out the massive airlift of foreign diplomats and citizens.

Meanwhile, the US deployed up to 6,000 personnel at Kabul Airport to evacuate its diplomats and citizens, as well as those of its allies, from Afghanistan.

The US military has secured the perimeter of Kabul airport, which is also acting as a consulate for some countries, including France.