Firefight involving western forces erupts at Kabul airport, 1 dead: German army

Kabul: A member of the Afghan security forces was killed and three were wounded in a gunfight at the north gate of the Kabul airport on Monday, the German military said on Twitter.

The statement said that the US and German troops had been involved alongside the Afghan guards - with three other Afghans injured in the incident, the BBC reported.

It's not clear who started the fighting and German officials said the three Afghans were hurt by "unknown attackers".

A NATO official told a wire service on Sunday that at least 20 people had died in and around the airport since last weekend - including from crushing and shooting incidents.

The Afghan forces are thought to be part of an army contingent who have been helping international forces, having refused to surrender to the Taliban.

On August 21, the US advised its citizens to avoid the area because of potential terror threats as the airport has been a scene of chaos for much of the week since the Taliban takeover of Kabul, with thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals trying to flee the country.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan just over a week ago as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war launched in the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as U.S. forces hunted Al Qaeda leaders and sought to punish their Taliban hosts.

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