A photo shows forgotten slippers and flip-flops lining the Kabul airport tarmac as thousands of people tried to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan

• A Twitter photo shows slippers and flip-flops scattered on what appears to be the Kabul airport tarmac.
• People have been trying to flee Afghanistan via Hamid Karzai International Airport as the Taliban takes over.
• Videos and images have emerged of people trying to latch onto planes taking off and falling from flights.

In a photo shared to Twitter, the tarmac of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan can be seen lined with forgotten flip-flops and slippers. It's a sign of the desperation and disarray that took place when crowds flocked runways and evacuation planes on Monday to escape the Taliban's takeover of the country.

The image, tweeted by independent journalist Kanika Gupta, shows the scattered trash and slippers and no people in sight. Two unidentified vehicles can be seen in the distance. Gupta did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.

-Kanika Gupta| خبرنگار (@kanika0509) August 17, 2021

The Taliban's seizing of the presidential palace in Kabul last weekend heralded the start of its new rule in Afghanistan, 20 years after the hardline Islamist group was ousted by US-led forces in 2001.

Shocking images and videos of people clambering aboard flights, trying to latch onto planes taking off, and falling from evacuation planes in the sky have since emerged.

Evacuation flights were halted for several hours after chaos spilled onto the airport, and US troops fired shots in the air to scatter crowds and restore order, an American official said. Several people were shot and killed, according to reports.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden announced roughly 5,000 troops would be deployed to Afghanistan to help with the evacuation.