Thousands of people desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul's airport on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to pause evacuations much of the day as President Joe Biden confronted mounting criticism over the US withdrawal.

Crowds converged on the airport seeking to escape, including some who clung to a US military transport plane as it taxied on the single runway, and one person appeared to fall from the plane during takeoff, according to television footage...