A photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times captured graphic images of wounded Afghans after Taliban fighters used lethal weapons to maintain crowd control at the airport

Lauren FriasAug 18, 2021, 08:51 IST

A man cries as he watches fellow Afghans get wounded after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control over thousands of Afghans who continue to wait outside the Kabul Airport for a way out, on airport road in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

At least six people were wounded outside the Kabul Airport by Taliban fighters using lethal weapons to maintain crowd control.
Photographer Marcus Yam captured harrowing photos of the violence, which he described as "indiscriminate."
He said he saw one Taliban fighter fire into "the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter as if it were a game."

Marcus Yam, a photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times, captured harrowing images on the scene near the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Afghans run away from Taliban fighters at the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Yam took photos of Afghans looking to flee the nation after Taliban forces regained control of the country over the weekend.

Afghans run away after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control at the Kabul Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Taliban fighters used lethal weapons, like guns, whips, sticks, and sharp objects to maintain crowd control of Afghans looking to evacuate, according to Yam.

Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control on airport road in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Yam said Afghans were waiting outside the airport to "try their luck" and get on a flight out of the nation, which is now under Taliban control.

"The violence was indiscriminate," the LA Times photographer told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "It seemed like they were doing whatever they wanted."

A man carries a bloodied child, as a woman lays wounded on the street at the Kabul Airport. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

"The violence was indiscriminate," the LA Times photographer told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "It seemed like they were doing whatever they wanted."

"I even watched one Taliban fighter, after firing some shots in the general direction of the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter," Yam continued. "As if it were a game for them or something."

Men try to help a wounded woman and her wounded child after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

"I even watched one Taliban fighter, after firing some shots in the general direction of the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter," Yam continued. "As if it were a game for them or something."

Yam said it was "shocking" to see people get wounded and beat in the street by Taliban fighters.

A wounded child in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

At least six people, including a woman and her child, were wounded outside the airport within the hour of violent escalation, according to the photographer.

A man carries a bloodied child, as a woman lays wounded on the street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

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A photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times captured graphic images of wounded Afghans after Taliban fighters used lethal weapons to maintain crowd control at the airport

Marcus Yam, a photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times, captured harrowing images on the scene near the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Yam took photos of Afghans looking to flee the nation after Taliban forces regained control of the country over the weekend.

Taliban fighters used lethal weapons, like guns, whips, sticks, and sharp objects to maintain crowd control of Afghans looking to evacuate, according to Yam.

Yam said Afghans were waiting outside the airport to "try their luck" and get on a flight out of the nation, which is now under Taliban control.

"The violence was indiscriminate," the LA Times photographer told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "It seemed like they were doing whatever they wanted."

"I even watched one Taliban fighter, after firing some shots in the general direction of the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter," Yam continued. "As if it were a game for them or something."

Yam said it was "shocking" to see people get wounded and beat in the street by Taliban fighters.

At least six people, including a woman and her child, were wounded outside the airport within the hour of violent escalation, according to the photographer.