The United States resumed evacuation flights from Kabul airport, hours after operations were suspended on Monday. The temporary suspension of flights was the result of two armed men at the airport being gunned down by the US forces, the Pentagon said. The airports witnessed chaotic scenes on Monday with huge crowds trying to board planes in order to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

US officials said that the government is prepared to evacuate more than 20,000 Afghans who helped the military over two decades. These locals are candidates for special immigrant visas. 

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“Our military embrace the opportunity to recognize their contributions to combined operations in Afghanistan by welcoming them into the US,” Director for Defense Intelligence Garry Reid said. He further added that officials are working to create capacity to support refugee relocation at temporary sites.

“At this point, we’re looking to establish 22,000 spaces. We can expand if we need to,” he said, as per NBC reports. 

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US President Joe Biden Monday afternoon (local time) addressed the country, blaming the Afghan leadership for the Taliban takeover.  

“American troops cannot and should not be fighting the war, and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces,” Biden said.

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Earlier, thousands of people were seen flocking to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul in a desperate attempt to fly out of Afghanistan. A video also captured at least three persons falling off an aircraft. 

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby had confirmed that there had been two security incidents, Monday, at the airfield at Hamid Karzai International Airport involving armed individuals shooting at US forces. He said that there was no indication to prove that the men shot were a part of the Taliban. However, quoting a witness, CNN reported the two were a part of the Islamic group and further a third fighter was also injured.