At least eight people killed at Kabul airport as Afghans attempt to flee, report

At least eight people died at the Kabul airport on Monday, following gunfire and deadly falls from departing an American military jet.

The deaths occurred as thousands of Afghans gather at the airport in hopes of boarding an evacuation flight as Taliban insurgents seize of the capital, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Witnesses to the shooting reported seeing prostrate, blood-covered bodies just outside the airport and all U.S. evacuation flights were suspended at the airport because runway is "not secure."

The U.S. military took over security control at the airport to expedite the evacuation of foreign diplomats and citizens. Many of the Afghans now gathered at the airport have worked for U.S. forces and are now the prime targets of the Taliban troops rooting around Kabul looking for those who have cooperated with Western forces.

There are now roughly 6,000 U.S. troops in the Kabul airport or on their way there, with more on standby at nearby bases.

The Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, signaling the collapse of the Afghan government after a two-decade effort by America to create stability in the country. 

Several European nations are rushing to evacuate their embassy staffs as well as some local Afghan staff, while other countries – including Russia, Turkey, and China – have said they will maintain their embassies.