A gunfight erupted at Kabul International Airport on Monday between unidentified gunmen, Western security personnel, and Afghan guards, according to Germany’s armed forces, as thousands of Afghans and foreigners flocked to the airport in an attempt to flee Taliban rule, the German military said.
In the battle at the airport’s north gate, which featured both U.S. and German soldiers, one Afghan guard was killed and three others were wounded, according to the German military’s Twitter account.
However, although the Taliban has stationed their terrorists outside the airport, where they have attempted to maintain some kind of order, Afghan guards are assisting United States military personnel on the inside of the airport.
According to CNN, a sniper outside the airport fired at Afghan guards inside the facility, who returned fire, prompting U.S. forces to open fire on the Afghan guards. U.S. forces then opened fire on the Afghan guards.
Two NATO officers at the airport confirmed that the situation had been brought under control and that all airport gates had been shut.
Since the Taliban seized control of the capital on August 15, the airport has been a shambles as U.S. and international forces attempt to evacuate civilians and vulnerable Afghan nationals.
On Sunday, Taliban militants repelled throngs of people at Kabul International Airport, a day after seven Afghans were killed in a stampede at the airport’s gates as the deadline for the withdrawal of international troops nears.
Foreign forces in Afghanistan have not requested an extension to the August 31 deadline to depart, according to a Taliban spokesman, following President Joe Biden’s remarks that U.S. soldiers would stay longer to oversee a “difficult and painful” withdrawal.
The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan a little more than a week ago, as the United States and its allies began to withdraw their troops after a 20-year war that began in the weeks following the September 11th attacks, as U.S. forces hunted down al Qaeda leaders and sought to punish the Taliban’s Afghan hosts.
Following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the Trump administration reached an agreement with the Taliban last year, allowing the United States to withdraw its troops in exchange for Taliban security assurances.
An official from the Taliban leadership told Reuters that foreign forces were working toward the end of August deadline to depart and that the Taliban had not requested to extend the deadline at this time.
On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden stated that the security situation in Afghanistan was swiftly shifting and remained perilous.
It was “no matter when it began” that the evacuation of thousands Afghan people from Kabul would be “difficult and traumatic,” Vice President Joe Biden said during a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday morning.
