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A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western safety forces and Afghan guards on the North Gate of Kabul airport on Monday, Germany’s armed forces mentioned, as 1000’s of Afghans and foreigners thronged the airport, in search of to flee Taliban rule.
One Afghan guard was killed and three others have been injured within the battle, which additionally concerned U.S. and German forces, the German navy mentioned on Twitter, with out specifying whether or not the lifeless Afghan was one of many Taliban fighters deployed to protect the airport.
The airport has been a scene of chaos for the reason that Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 15 as U.S. and worldwide forces attempt to evacuate residents and weak Afghans.
On Sunday, Taliban fighters beat again crowds on the airport a day after seven Afghans have been killed in a crush on the gates because the deadline for the withdrawal of overseas troops approaches.
Overseas forces in Afghanistan haven’t sought to increase the Aug. 31 deadline to depart the nation, a Taliban official mentioned on Monday, after President Joe Biden mentioned U.S. troops would possibly keep longer to supervise a ”exhausting and painful” evacuation.
The Taliban seized energy in Afghanistan simply over per week in the past as america and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year struggle aimed toward overthrowing the Taliban and looking down al Qaeda after the 9/11 assaults.
Overseas forces have been working in direction of the end-August deadline agreed with the Taliban to depart the nation and had not sought to increase it but, a senior authorized adviser to the Taliban management advised Reuters on Monday.
Biden, who final week flagged the opportunity of troops remaining longer, mentioned on Sunday the safety state of affairs in Afghanistan was altering quickly and remained harmful.
”Let me be clear, the evacuation of 1000’s from Kabul goes to be exhausting and painful” and would have been ”irrespective of when it started”, Biden mentioned in a briefing on the White Home.
”We’ve got an extended solution to go and lots may nonetheless go mistaken.”
Requested by a reporter whether or not america would prolong an Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations, Biden replied: ”Our hope is we won’t have to increase however there are going to be discussions I believe on how far alongside we’re within the course of.”
Biden mentioned he had directed the State Division to contact Individuals stranded within the nation, the place Taliban checkpoints are in place.
”We’re executing a plan to maneuver teams of those Individuals to security and to securely and successfully transfer them to the airport compound. For safety causes, I’m not going to enter element … however I’ll say once more right now what I’ve mentioned earlier than: Any American who needs to get residence will get residence.”
Afghan allies of the West and weak Afghans comparable to girls activists and journalists could be helped too, he mentioned.
CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT
Panicked Afghans have clamoured to board flights out of Kabul, fearing reprisals and a return to a harsh model of Islamic legislation that the Sunni Muslim group carried out when it was final in energy, twenty years in the past.
America on Sunday sought the assistance of six industrial airways https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-administration-use-commercial-airlines-carry-afghan-evacuees-2021-08-22 to move individuals after their evacuation from Afghanistan. Biden mentioned individuals fleeing Afghanistan have been being assisted by greater than two dozen nations in 4 continents.
Japan mentioned it can ship a navy plane https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-send-military-aircraft-repatriate-citizens-afghanistan-2021-08-23 to Afghanistan on Monday to carry again its residents. Extra flights are anticipated to repatriate not solely Japanese residents but additionally Afghans working on the Japanese embassy or with Japanese missions, a authorities spokesperson mentioned.
A United Nations flight transported 120 individuals from Kabul to Kazakhstan on Sunday, mentioned U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Passengers included U.N. personnel and members of non-governmental organizations who work with the United Nations in Afghanistan, he mentioned, including that it was the second such flight previously week.
OPPOSITION
Leaders of the Taliban, who’ve sought to indicate a extra average face since capturing Kabul, have begun talks on forming a authorities.
They face opposition from forces in northern Afghanistan, which mentioned this weekend https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/anti-taliban-forces-say-theyve-taken-three-districts-afghanistans-north-2021-08-21 they’d taken three districts near the Panjshir valley.
Anti-Taliban chief Ahmad Massoud https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/anti-taliban-leader-massoud-says-negotiation-only-way-forward-2021-08-22 mentioned on Sunday he hoped to carry peaceable talks with the Islamist motion however that his forces within the Panjshir – remnants of military items, particular forces and militiamen – have been able to combat.
”We need to make the Taliban realise that the one manner ahead is thru negotiation,” he mentioned. ”We don’t want a struggle to interrupt out.”
The Taliban mentioned a whole bunch of their fighters have been heading in direction of Panjshir, displaying a video on Twitter of a column of captured vans with the white Taliban flag however nonetheless bearing their authorities markings transferring alongside a freeway.
Reuters spoke to eight medical doctors in public hospitals in a number of Taliban managed cities elsewhere within the nation who mentioned they’d not heard of any violence or obtained any wounded or our bodies of individuals killed in clashes since Thursday.
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