No Flights Land or Leave Kabul's Airport, Pentagon Says

• Aug. 16, 2021, 12:02 p.m. ET

The Pentagon said Monday that astatine this clip determination were nary flights coming oregon going, subject oregon civilian, into Hamid Karzai International Airport.

John F. Kirby, the main Pentagon spokesman, said that a information breach connected the civilian broadside of the airdrome led the American Marines determination — 2,500 arsenic of Monday greeting — to unopen down flights until troops person secured the airport.

He said that by Tuesday greeting the subject expects astir 3,000 Marines would beryllium connected the crushed astatine the airdrome to assistance the evacuation effort. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is sending an further 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne to Kabul, alternatively of to Kuwait, to assistance unafraid the area.

Altogether by aboriginal this week determination volition beryllium 6,000 American troops conducting information astatine the airdrome and helping the evacuation.

Mr. Kirby besides said that determination was a preliminary study that 1 American worker had been injured.

“All the images coming retired are of interest and troubling,” Mr. Kirby said, successful notation to a video of an American transport level taking disconnected from Kabul’s airdrome with hopeless Afghans hanging onto the wings. Those radical were aboriginal seen falling from the airborne plane.

He said that each Americans and Afghan allies should proceed to “shelter successful spot until information tin beryllium re-established astatine the airport.”

He said that the Turkish troops astatine the airdrome were helping the Marines to unafraid it.