Emirates Flight Diverts Back to Dubai as Taliban Encircles Kabul

(Bloomberg) -- An Emirates’ flight from Dubai abandoned its landing in Kabul and diverted back to Dubai on Sunday, according to FlightRadar24, as Taliban militants encircled Afghanistan’s capital city.

The Dubai-based carrier’s Boeing Co. 777 aircraft, which was scheduled to land in Kabul International Airport at 2:30 pm local time, circled over Kabul before heading back, FlightRadar24 data showed. Emirates didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

An Air India Airbus SE A320neo, from Delhi to Kabul, also circled over the city for several minutes before landing at 2:32 pm local time, 45 minutes after its scheduled arrival time, according to FlightRadar24.

Fighters from the militant group entered the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday as the U.S. and other nations rushed to evacuate their citizens. Taliban forces now hold all of Afghanistan’s border crossings, leaving Kabul airport as the only route out, the Associated Press reported.

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