Military evacuation flights taking off from Kabul: Western official

KABUL: Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan started taking off on Tuesday morning, a Western security official at Kabul airport told Reuters.

The airport runway and tarmac, overrun on Monday by thousands of people desperate to flee from the Afghanistan capital, are now clear of crowds, the official said.

From US withdrawal to fall of Kabul: NSC takes stock of situation

US forces, which are in charge at the airport, had halted the evacuation flights because of the chaos.