The Latest: Attackers kill Afghan soldier at Kabul airport
BERLIN - The German military says a firefight broke out at the Kabul airport´s north gate early on Monday between Afghan security forces and "unknown attackers."
The military said in a tweet that one Afghan security officer was killed and another three were wounded in the early morning incident. It said that U.S. and German forces then also got involved, and that there were no injuries to German soldiers.
There was no further information and it wasn't known who the attackers were. The Taliban, who are manning the outside perimeters of the Kabul airport, have until now not opened fire on NATO or Afghan troops within.
Monday's incident took place after at least seven Afghans died in a panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul´s international airport on Sunday, the British military said. Thousands were still trying to flee the country in a chaotic exodus a week after the Taliban takeover.
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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:
In this Aug. 21, 2021, photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) provides fresh water to a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)
- Kabul airlift is accelerating but still hampered by chaos
- British military: 7 Afghans killed in chaos at Kabul airport
- China both worries and hopes as US departs Afghanistan
- `Imbecilic´: Ex-UK leader Tony Blair slams Afghan withdrawal
- AP PHOTOS: Two decades of war, and daily life in Afghanistan
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- Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
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HERE´S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden is raising concerns that the Islamic State poses a threat as American troops seek to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan.
Biden in remarks at the White House on Sunday noted that the terror group is a "sworn enemy of the Taliban" and said that the longer U.S. troops are on the ground increases the chance that the group will attempt to strike innocent civilians and American personnel near the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has been warning Americans to avoid traveling to the airport in part because of concerns about Islamic State fighters.
The extremist group has long declared a desire to attack America and U.S. interests abroad and it has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years, carrying out waves of horrific attacks, mostly on the Shiite minority.
The group has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. airstrikes in recent years, and faced Taliban attacks.
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WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden says 11,000 individuals were evacuated from Kabul over the weekend and he remains committed to assisting all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan get out.
Biden added Sunday that his first priority is getting American citizens out of Afghanistan "as quickly and safely as possible."
In the president´s words: "We´re working hard and as fast as we can to get people out. That´s our mission. That´s our goal."
Biden also says he is also activating the civilian reserve air fleet provided by commercial airlines to help move evacuees from third country waystations on to the United States.
An ambulance stands next to a transport plane carrying people flown out of Afghanistan at Ramstein Air Base, in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, Friday, Aug. 2021. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul's international airport killed several Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban's takeover of the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint on the road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul's international airport killed several Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban's takeover of the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul's international airport killed several Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban's takeover of the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) plays with children waiting to process during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)
A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul's international airport killed several Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban's takeover of the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
A group of Afghan nationals residing in South Korea whose family members have worked with Koreans in their home country, call for the South Korean government to rescue them during a rally outside the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021.(Baek Seung-ryul/Yonhap via AP)
In front of the US Embassy, protesters demonstrate in support of Afghan people, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday Aug. 22, 2021. After the demonstration in front of the Pakistani embassy, the protests continue in front of the US embassy in Copenhagen. (Nils Meilvang / Ritzau Scanpix)
In front of the US Embassy, protesters demonstrate in support of Afghan people, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday Aug. 22, 2021. After the demonstration in front of the Pakistani embassy, the protests continue in front of the US embassy in Copenhagen. (Nils Meilvang / Ritzau Scanpix)
Women hold signs reading "Stop killing Afghans" and "Peace, Freedom, Justice for Afghanistan" during a demonstration for the reception of threatened people from Afghanistan, in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday Aug. 22, 2021. (Markus Scholz/dpa via AP)
A man yells during a demonstration in Paris, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. Afghan associations in France have called on people to gather at the Republic Plaza in Paris on Sunday to show their solidarity toward evacuees and refugees from Afghanistan, after the Taliban took power in the country, and France has evacuated some hundreds of people from Kabul who worked with the French government or French groups in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Adrienne Surprenant)
A woman prepares posters saying "Afghans welcome", "evacuation now" and "European rulers, act now" during a demonstration in Paris, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. Afghan associations in France have called on people to gather at the Republic Plaza in Paris on Sunday to show their solidarity toward evacuees and refugees from Afghanistan, after the Taliban took power in the country, and France has evacuated some hundreds of people from Kabul who worked with the French government or French groups in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Adrienne Surprenant)
