Hundreds still waiting outside Kabul airport days after Taliban take over Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 21: With the Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in the capital with hopes of catching planes to western countries. Days after Kabul fell to the Taliban, hundreds of Afghan people including women and children are continuing to wait outside the Kabul airport hoping to flee the country. The desperate people have been kept behind the barricade created with barbed wire and concrete blocks. Those who have passports and flight permits are taken to the airport one by one through the gates. Babies and children are most affected by the harsh conditions at the gates under the control of foreign soldiers responsible for the security of the airport and its surroundings. On Saturday (Aug. 21), one of the Afghans, who has been waiting outside the airport for three days for evacuation, explained that they were suffering from food and water shortages. He said “I just want to leave here. It doesn't matter where I go.” In the days after seizing power, Taliban leadership assured the "peaceful transition of power" and has publicly disavowed any attempts at revenge on Afghans who worked with the government or foreign organizations. But with the unexpected power grab and President Ashraf Ghani and top officials leaving the country, concerns became louder from several countries as well as rights organizations. In the meantime, some offered refuge to Afghans. Sixty-four countries signed a statement on Aug. 16, demanding a safe and orderly departure for anyone who wants to leave Afghanistan.(Footage by Baha Kalmurat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)