Taliban largely seal off Kabul airport as airlift winds down

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have deployed extra forces around Kabul’s airport to prevent large crowds from gathering after a deadly suicide attack two days earlier. The massive U.S.-led airlift is winding down ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline, with many allies having completed their own operations. The Taliban on Saturday set up new layers of checkpoints on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces. Areas where large crowds have massed for the past two weeks were largely empty. A suicide attack Thursday by an Islamic State affiliate killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, and there are concerns that the group could strike again.