{"id":71132,"date":"2021-08-23T10:10:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T10:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/23\/gunfire-at-kabul-airport-kills-1-amid-chaotic-evacuations\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:16:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:16:01","slug":"gunfire-at-kabul-airport-kills-1-amid-chaotic-evacuations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/08\/23\/gunfire-at-kabul-airport-kills-1-amid-chaotic-evacuations\/","title":{"rendered":"No US or coalition forces hurt in firefight at Kabul airport that killed 1 Afghan troop"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Afghans swarming the walls and gates of the Kabul airport met with tear gas, gunfire and other obstacles as they continued to try to gain access to the flights.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) \u2014 A firefight at one of the gates of Kabul\u2019s international airport killed at least one Afghan soldier early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shooting at the airport came as the Taliban sent fighters north of the capital to eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month<\/a>. The Taliban said they retook three districts seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo U.S. or coalition forces were hurt during a brief exchange of gunfire last night outside the north gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport,\u201d Navy Capt. William Urban, the U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement Monday morning. \u201cThe incident appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces involved in monitoring access to the gate. The Afghans returned fire, and in keeping with their right of self-defense, so too did U.S. and coalition troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne member of the Afghan forces was killed by the hostile actor; several Afghans were wounded during the exchange,\u201d Urban stated. \u201cThe wounded are being treated at an airfield hospital and are reported to be in stable condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur condolences go out to the teammates and loved ones of the fallen Afghan soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afghanistan\u2019s security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance<\/a>, despite 20 years of Western aid, training and assistance. Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country since, fearing a return to the brutal rule the Taliban imposed the last time they ran Afghanistan. That has led to chaos at the airport in Kabul, the main route out of the country, where some Afghan troops are assisting Western evacuation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gunfire broke out near one of the airport\u2019s gates, where at least seven Afghans died a day earlier in a panicked stampede of thousands of people. The circumstances of the shooting, which occurred around dawn, remained unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The German military tweeted that one member of the Afghan security forces was killed and three others were wounded by \u201cunknown attackers.\u201d It later clarified that it was referring to \u201cmembers of the Afghan army\u201d involved in securing the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency, an Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had treated six patients with bullet wounds from the airport, none of whom were in life-threatening condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. military and NATO did not immediately acknowledge the shooting. There was no comment from the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\t