Pentagon rushes more reinforcements to Kabul airport as panic disrupts evacuations
US troops regained control of the runway Monday afternoon after masses of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac hoping to escape.
The Biden administration went on the defensive Monday after US troops rushed to restore order as chaos broke out at the Afghan capital's main airport following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
Thousands of Afghans hoping to escape the Islamist insurgents overwhelmed the tarmac on Monday, temporarily bringing evacuation flights to a halt.
For the third time in as many days, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tapped into an emergency reserve force from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to help secure the airstrip, a final escape route for many panicked Afghans and international personnel.
Over the coming days, the additional battalion will bring the total number of US troops at the airport to roughly 7,000, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday, nearly tripling the US footprint in Afghanistan over late last year. A fourth battalion of the 82nd’s brigade combat team will remain in Kuwait in reserve.
