Bundeswehr in firefight at the north gate of Kabul airport

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An Afghan soldier in Kabul (photo from July 2021)

Photo: HEDAYATULLAH AMID / EPA

According to the Bundeswehr, a battle with Bundeswehr participation broke out in front of the north gate of Kabul airport.

Unknown attacked the Afghan capital's airport, Afghan security forces as well as German and American soldiers defended the north gate.

An Afghan security force was killed in the skirmish and three others were injured on Monday morning.

The soldiers of the Bundeswehr were uninjured.

According to the Bundeswehr, the exchange of fire took place around 04.15 a.m. (CEST).

Kabul airport has been secured by foreign soldiers since the radical Islamic Taliban came to power a week ago.

For days, thousands of desperate people have been crowding in front of the airport gates, hoping for a place on an evacuation plane.

"The threat is real, it is acute"

The German embassy had only recently warned that dangerous situations and armed clashes were still very common at the entrances. The gate in the north is still closed. Due to the security situation, the embassy "urgently" advised German citizens and Afghan local staff not to travel to the airport. For the time being, it is generally safer to stay at home or in a sheltered place.

The US government had only expressed concerns about an attack by the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) at the airport or in the vicinity on Sunday. "The threat is real, it is acute, it is ongoing," said US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, on CNN. Take the warnings "absolutely dead serious." The militant Islamist Taliban and the regionally active branch of IS are enemies and have fought against each other in the past.

The Bundeswehr has meanwhile flown more than 2,700 people from Kabul, including more than 1,800 Afghans.

According to the Bundeswehr, an aircraft with 213 passengers landed in the capital of neighboring Uzbekistan, Tashkent, from the night.

A week ago, the militant Islamist Taliban captured Kabul and took power.

Since then, members of the opposition, journalists, human rights activists and local staff who worked for Western countries have feared acts of revenge.

mrc / dpa