First plane with UK citizens, Kabul Embassy staff lands back home from Afghanistan
Aug 16, 2021
London [UK], August 16 : The first plane to bring UK citizens and embassy employees back home from Afghanistan has landed in the country, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Monday.
"Last night the first flight of British Nationals and Embassy Staff arrived at RAF [Royal Air Force] Brize Norton as part of Op [operation] PITTING. The UK Armed Forces are supporting the evacuation of British Nationals and those eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Program," the ministry said in a Tweet.
Meanwhile, all commercial flights have been suspended at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan's Kabul to avoid crowds.
According to witnesses cited by TOLO News, several people were killed and injured in a shooting at the airport in Kabul.
At least three people lost their lives on Monday following gunfire at the passenger terminal of Kabul's international airport. The incident happened after thousands of Afghans gathered at the Kabul airport to seek an evacuation flight amid the Taliban's takeover of the country, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Witnesses reported seeing the prone, bloodied bodies lying on the ground just outside the terminal building. Officials at the US Central Command were not immediately available for comment, the report stated.
Meanwhile, the US military has taken over the security at the Kabul airport to execute the massive airlift of diplomat presence in Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover of the capital city, The Wall Street Journal reported.
