New Delhi: The British military has confirmed that 7 Afghan civilians have died in the chaos near Kabul airport on Sunday when thousands of residents were trying to flee the war-torn country.
"Our sincere thoughts are with the families of the seven Afghan civilians who have sadly died in crowds in Kabul," a British military spokesman said, as reported by The Associated Press.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement Sunday that “conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging, but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible.”
The evacuation team from the US is struggling to cope with people trying to flee the country as hundreds of people try to get on board the evacuation aircraft which creates huge chaos inside the flight and at the Kabul airport.
Several videos, which are being shared on social media, have shown desperate dash by Afghans to flee the Taliban, who swept into Kabul a week ago after their lightning advance seized the country.
According to reports, US forces and Taliban fighters opened fire into the air to drive away those desperate to get out of the country.
The development comes in the backdrop of the US embassy's decision on Saturday announcing a new security warning telling citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a US government representative.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the UK newspaper Mail on Sunday that "no nation will be able to get everyone out" before the US deadline of August 31.