A firefight at one of the gates of Kabul’s International Airport killed at least one Afghan security officer early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.
One Afghan guard was killed and three others were injured in the battle, which also involved US and German forces, the German military said on Twitter, without specifying whether the dead Afghan was one of the Taliban fighters deployed to guard the airport.
The shooting near the military side of the airport came as the Taliban sent insurgents northward to face a nascent rebellion against the militants who seized the country over a week ago in a lightning offensive. So far, the Taliban said there had been no fighting though the rebels already have seized three rural districts in the mountains of the Hindu Kush.
The airport has been a scene of chaos since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 15 as U.S. and international forces try to evacuate citizens and vulnerable Afghans.
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.
Meanwhile, India has ramped up its rescue operation with multiple flights bringing more people from the strife-hit nation.
FE Online has learnt that 46 Hindus and Sikhs are being brought to India on the Indian Air Force plane. The sources say that three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib – the Holy Book in the Sikh religion – are also being flown out.
The main problem with India’s evacuation operations is that the people are scattered all over Afghanistan. So to bring them safely to Kabul airport is a task in itself. An additional issue is of the presence of terrorists from Pakistan-based outfits such as Lashkar-e-Toiba etc. Though there was some scare of Indians being targeted after a group was ‘taken away, so far, there has been no specific report that says that the Taliban fighters specifically targeting Indians.
This brings us to a recurring issue that we have discussed previously also. That is a lack of credible information from other provinces of Afghanistan. Over the weekend, Amnesty International reported about killings of around 10 men from the Hazara community. The Hazaras are Shia Muslims and the Talibans are known to have attacked them since their Afghan takeover in 1996 also.
There have been reports of the situation deteriorating in Herat also. Panjshir – the stronghold of the Northern Alliance – may see some new battles in the coming days.
