Afghanistan: British citizens blocked from evacuation as scrambles continue at Kabul Airport
Watch John Irvine's powerful report from Kabul as desperation grows at Kabul Airport
British citizens in Afghanistan are being blocked from escaping the country, despite displaying UK passports, as scrambles at Kabul Airport mean those eligible for for evacuation are unable to get inside.
Powerful reporting by ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine revealed the scale of chaos and desperation in Afghanistan as thousands attempt to flee the Taliban.
Distressing images showed dozens of Afghans and Britons trying to enter a temporary British embassy but turned away without reason, as Taliban fighters dispersed crowds with volleys of gunshots into the air.
One man, displaying a British passport, made an impassioned plea to Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "Just get us out of here."
"I’m a British citizen, my kids are British and they’re stuck here," the man told ITV News, "they closed the door on us and they’re shooting back at us".
He added: "Our kids are struggling and we’re all in a big mess here. The British Army is right behind these fences, they’ve closed the gate and they’re not letting no one in."
The British ambassador to Afghanistan said the evacuation effort in Kabul is "gathering pace", but the latest figures show just 5,725 people had been extracted from Kabul in nine days, after the mission began on August 13.
Recent reports say some evacuation flights have been forced to leave the country without the planned number of passengers because many of those eligible to leave have been unable to get inside the airport.
The shift which has taken place in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over was laid bare with another example of someone unable to escape.
Paralympian Zakia Khudadadi who would have been the first female to represent the country at the games, had it not been for the Taliban insurgency.
Her hopes to compete in taekwondo tournaments in Tokyo were crushed when the Taliban seized control of the country. Now she is one of the hundreds stranded outside Kabul Airport, desperate to leave.
The ITV News team in Kabul was alerted to another distressing situation outside the airport, where two young children had allegedly been left behind amid a scramble in which their parents were able to get inside.
One man appearing to care for the children said he blamed US President Joe Biden for what has happened since Western forces left Afghanistan and the Taliban recaptured the country.
"Mr Biden, you did this. You planned this. You made the deal with the Taliban," he said.
"This is the consequences of it. This is the repercussions of it. Mr Biden, it’s your ill-calculation. You were against Trump, now we’re against you."
"Go to Hell, Biden," he shouted.
While many of those outside Kabul Airport were angry with Western forces, many others were simply desperate for help.
An Afghan interpreter who worked with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province for a year told ITV News he had been waiting outside all night with his wife and children.
"I need help from the UK," he told ITV News.