Afghanistan: firefight involving Western forces erupts at Kabul airport
- Afghan guard killed in clash with unidentified attackers
- US and German forces also involved in firefight
A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces and Afghan guards at the North Gate of Kabul airport on Monday, Germany’s armed forces said, as thousands of Afghans and foreigners thronged the airport, seeking to flee Taliban rule.
One Afghan guard was killed and three others were injured in the battle, which also involved US and German forces, the German military said, without specifying whether the dead Afghan was one of the Taliban fighters deployed to guard the airport.
No German soldiers were harmed in the incident.
On Sunday, Taliban fighters beat back crowds at the airport a day after seven Afghans were killed in a crush at the gates as the deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops approaches.
04:51
Thousands fleeing Afghanistan struggle to enter Kabul airport
“There’s discussions going among us and the military about extending,” Biden said.
He acknowledged the searing scenes at the airport, which have included babies and children being passed to soldiers over razor-wire fences and men clinging to the outside of departing planes.
But he said they were part of the cost of departure.
“There is no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss and heartbreaking images you see,” he said.
Biden spoke after the Taliban, who have been holding talks with elders and politicians to set up a government, slammed the evacuation.
“America, with all its power and facilities … has failed to bring order to the airport,” Taliban official Amir Khan Mutaqi said.
“There is peace and calm all over the country, but there is chaos only at Kabul airport.”
In the streets of the capital, the Taliban have indeed enforced a calm of a kind, with their armed forces patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints.
Visually, they have also been looking to stamp their authority, ensuring the tricoloured nation flag is replaced with their white banner.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse
