The Taliban have fired warning shots outside Kabul airport, as heard in footage filmed by an RT crew, after the Islamist militant group said on Tuesday that it would no longer allow Afghans to access the US-run airfield.
On Wednesday, RT International correspondent Murad Gazdiev and the RT Arabic crew witnessed and filmed Taliban gunmen firing warning shots in an effort to ward off Afghans desperate to flee.
In exclusive footage captured by the RT crew as they left Hamid Karzai Airport, a Taliban gunman can be seen pushing an individual back from a checkpoint before running to ward off other Afghans who tried to pass through the scattered militant line. In the process, the militant guard appears to shoot twice into the air before carelessly letting his rifle fall backwards and firing again; his final shot seemingly hits the ground.
In additional footage taken by the RT team, more gunmen can be seen firing into the air while simultaneously pushing back those desperate to leave. One militant guard can be seen leaning over a concrete road barrier and threatening two men with a short knife.
Just meters away, behind a bus in which the RT crews sit, Western forces can be seen going about their operations at the airport.
On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant group would no longer permit Afghans to access Kabul airport. Foreigners can continue to use the airport until the August 31 deadline.
The airport has been surrounded by crowds of desperate Afghans since the Taliban captured Kabul less than two weeks ago.
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