The US has encouraged crowds attempting to enter Kabul airport to leave the areas as the British and Australian governments warned of a “high threat” of a “terrorist” assault.

All four nations have requested that individuals no longer attempt to travel to the airport, a heartbreaking request as people with little other option but to flee Afghanistan try to save their own and their loved ones’ lives.

The pressure to finish the evacuations of tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghans who assisted Western countries throughout the Taliban’s 20-year insurgency has increased. In the next hours or days, US and partner forces must shift their emphasis to the logistics of their own retreat.

Since the extreme Islamist Taliban movement gained control of Afghanistan on August 15, almost 90,000 Afghans and foreigners have departed the country via the US-led airlift.

The US State Department issued a notice, stating that “those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” citing “security threats.”

The UK Foreign Office warned travellers not to go to the airport on Wednesday night, saying, “There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack. Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai international airport. If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”

“If you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately,” it continued.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs similarly warned Australians not to travel to the airport, citing an “ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attack.”

“Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you’re in the area of the airport, move to a safe location and await further advice.”

Huge crowds have gathered at and around the airport, with several foreign nations canceling flights ahead of President Joe Biden’s deadline of Tuesday to complete the evacuations and withdraw the US soldiers in charge.

Unknown gunmen fired shots at an Italian military jet as it flew out of Kabul on Thursday, according to an Italian defense source. It’s still in perfect condition.

Meanwhile, US Army Major General William Taylor told a press conference that more than 10,000 people were waiting to be evacuated from Afghanistan at the Kabul airport.

Ben Wallace, the British defence minister, suggested previously that Afghans fleeing to the UK may be better suited “trying to get to the border” rather than waiting for an RAF evacuation. In a briefing to MPs, Wallace also indicated that there were limited spots remaining on British rescue planes, which had evacuated more than 11,000 people from Kabul since the Taliban took control of the country less than two weeks ago.

Some of the bloodiest assaults in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years have been carried out by the Islamic State’s Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter.