From the surging crowd of people outside Kabul airport, a small baby was perilously passed over razor wire into the hands of a United States soldier guarding Kabul airport on Thursday (August 19).
The footage shared on social media, captures the sense of desperation among many Afghans who are fearful of what the Taliban’s sudden return to power will mean.
Thousands of people have been trying to get to Kabul airport and on to military and civilian flights abroad, but amid chaotic scenes, some have been killed or wounded and armed Taliban members have been firing in the air to control the crowds.
American soldiers are also stationed there to prevent the airport being overrun while evacuations of foreigners and Afghans are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting, coinciding with the Islamist militant Taliban’s lightning conquest of the country.