- In Afghanistan, a gun battle resulted in deaths and three others were injured.
- The German and American armies participated in the exchange.
- As people try to escape from Taliban rule, Kabul Airport has been in chaos.
On Monday, Western security forces exchanged fire with unidentified gunmen at the Kabul airport as US President Joe Biden tried to speed up the evacuation of tens of thousands of chaotic Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
According to the German military, one Afghan was killed and three others were injured in a firefight that broke out between the Afghan guards and unidentified attackers.
Read | The Taliban blamed the US for the chaos at the airport because Afghans face an “impossible” escape
The German army said in a statement that the German and American forces “engaged in further exchanges of fire”.
This is the latest episode of a chaotic operation overseen by the US military since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15 and effectively controlled the country, which has evacuated approximately 30,000 people from Afghanistan.
The Taliban, notorious for their ultra-strict interpretation of Sharia law during their initial rule from 1996 to 2001, have repeatedly vowed to provide a more moderate version this time.
Tragic scene
Infographic | How many people have been evacuated from Afghanistan so far?
However, the terrified Afghans continued to try to escape, which overwhelmed the operations at Kabul Airport and led to the tragic scene of at least eight deaths.
The victory of the Taliban ended the two decades-long war because they used Biden to decide to withdraw almost all American troops from the country.
Biden has redeployed thousands of people back to Afghanistan to monitor the evacuation. He insisted that he hopes to end the US military presence and airlift by August 31.
But because the European Union and the United Kingdom stated that it would be impossible for everyone to leave by then, Biden is under pressure to extend the deadline.
Biden said in a speech at the White House on Sunday that he hopes that the airlift will not be extended, but said that negotiations are underway to explore this possibility.
“We and the military are discussing the extension,” Biden said.
He admitted that there were tragic scenes at the airport, which also included babies and children being passed to soldiers through barbed wire, and men clinging to the departing plane.
But he said they are part of the departure cost.
“Without the pain and loss and heartbreaking images you have seen, there is no way to evacuate so many people,” he said.
In order to strengthen air transportation, the US government ordered six major commercial airlines to fly back to the United States those who had evacuated from Kabul to US bases in the Gulf and Europe.
Do not miss a story. Choose from our newsletter Send the news you want directly to your inbox.
