Germany's first military plane to land at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul since the Taliban took over was only able to leave with seven people due to "chaotic" ground conditions, according to the Guardian.
Of the seven evacuees, five were German citizens, one Afghan, and one Dutch. German local media reported that the German government originally intended to board up to 145 passengers onto its plane, but fleeing Afghanis were unable to reach the aircraft due to a large Taliban presence around the airport.
"We had very little time, so we only took on board people who were on site," a German foreign ministry spokesperson told the Guardian.
Kabul's airstrip was in a frenzy on Monday after thousands of Afghanis attempted to leave the country due to the Taliban's rapid takeover. US forces reportedly fatally shot at least two armed Afghanis at the security perimeter of the airport. Hundreds of Afghanis clung to US planes that were taking off, ultimately falling off mid-flight or passing away in the landing gear.
Flights in and out of Kabul were ultimately suspended for much of Monday due to the chaos at the airport, but evacuation flights have begun to resume. According to the Wall Street Journal, US military flights are leaving with American citizens and embassy workers.
