WASHINGTON: The United States has airlifted out of Afghanistan some 7,000 people fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country, a top general said Thursday.

"Since the start of evacuation operations on August 14th, we have airlifted approximately 7,000 total evacuees," Major General Hank Taylor told a Pentagon briefing.

Since the end of July, "the cumulative number of people moved out of Afghanistan is somewhere near 12,000," he added.