Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1; Taliban mass near Panjshir

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KABUL – A firefight astatine 1 of the gates of Kabul's planetary airdrome killed astatine slightest 1 Afghan worker aboriginal Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.

The shooting adjacent the subject broadside of the airdrome came arsenic the Taliban sent fighters to the northbound of the superior to destruct pockets of equipped absorption to their lightning takeover earlier this month. The Taliban said they retook 3 districts that fell the time earlier and had surrounded Panjshir, the past state that remains retired of their control.

Afghanistan's information forces collapsed successful the look of the Taliban advance, contempt 20 years of Western aid, grooming and assistance. But immoderate equipped Afghans stay astatine Kabul airdrome assisting Western evacuation efforts.

The gunfire broke retired adjacent the airport's bluish gate, wherever astatine slightest 7 Afghans died a time earlier successful a panicked stampede of thousands of radical trying to fly the country. The circumstances of the shooting, which occurred astir dawn, remained unclear.

The German subject tweeted that 1 subordinate of the Afghan information forces was killed and 3 others were wounded by “unknown attackers.” It aboriginal clarified that it was referring to “members of the Afghan army” progressive successful securing the airport.

The U.S. subject and NATO did not instantly admit the shooting. There was nary remark from the Taliban.

The tragic scenes astir the airdrome person transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac past week and immoderate clung to a U.S. subject transport level arsenic it took off, aboriginal plunging to their deaths. At slightest 7 radical died that day, successful summation to the 7 killed Sunday.

The Taliban blasted the chaotic evacuation connected the U.S. military, saying there’s nary request for Afghans to fearfulness them, adjacent though their fighters sprout into the aerial and bushed radical with batons arsenic they effort to power the crowds extracurricular the airdrome perimeter.

The Taliban person pledged amnesty to those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government, but galore Afghans inactive fearfulness revenge attacks. There person been reports successful caller days of the Taliban hunting down their erstwhile enemies. It’s unclear if Taliban leaders are saying 1 happening and doing another, oregon if fighters are taking matters into their ain hands.

As the airlift continues, the U.S. authorities has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, requesting 18 craft from U.S. carriers to assistance successful transporting Afghan refugees aft they are evacuated to different countries. The voluntary program, calved successful the aftermath of the Berlin airlift, adds to the military’s capabilities during crises.

Early Monday, a Delta Air Lines formation landed successful Dubai and aboriginal took disconnected for Al-Udeid Air Base successful Qatar, wherever evacuees are crowded into hangars. A dependable watercourse of subject transport planes proceed to alert radical retired of Kabul to airfields crossed the Mideast.

There besides person been concerns that a section Islamic State affiliate mightiness people the crowds extracurricular the airdrome with termination bombers oregon occurrence missiles astatine U.S. aircraft. Military planes person been executing corkscrew landings, and different craft person fired flares upon takeoff, measures utilized to forestall rocket attacks.

Elsewhere successful Afghanistan, the Taliban person faced constricted equipped absorption from fighters successful Baghlan province, some120 kilometers (75 miles) northbound of Kabul. The fighters claimed to person seized 3 districts successful the Andarab Valley connected Sunday, but the Taliban said Monday that they had cleared them retired overnight.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the group's forces person surrounded adjacent Panjshir, the lone 1 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces yet to autumn to the militants.

Several Taliban opponents person gathered there, including Amrullah Saleh, the vice president successful the toppled authorities who claims to beryllium the acting president nether the constitution. Ahmad Massoud, lad of the slain commandant of the Northern Alliance militias that partnered with the U.S. to thrust the Taliban from powerfulness successful 2001, is besides successful Panjshir.

In interviews with Arab media outlets implicit the weekend, Massoud said his fighters would defy immoderate effort to instrumentality the state by unit but were unfastened to dialog with the Taliban.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said determination had been nary warring successful Panjshir yet and that his radical is seeking a “peaceful solution” to the standoff.

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Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson successful Berlin and Joseph Krauss successful Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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Afghanistan coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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