SOLDIER KILLED AS U.S. STEPS UP EVACUATION BID
AFGHAN DIES IN GUNFIGHT AS THOUSANDS GATHER TO SEEK ESCAPE FROM KABUL
An Afghan soldier was shot dead and three others were wounded at Kabul airport Monday as Washington ramped up efforts to bring home citizens and Afghan workers.
The United States said it had evacuated more than 16,000 people over the past 24 hours, the highest daily figure so far, as it raced to meet the Taliban's Aug. 31 deadline to leave the country.
German military officials said the gunfight occurred around 7 a.m. in the same area of the airport where seven Afghans were crushed to death over the weekend due to overcrowding.
On Monday, Pentagon officials said they could not rule out the possibility that the Taliban were responsible.
Kabul Airport has been plunged into chaos since the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15, with thousands attempting to flee on evacuation flights organized by Britain, the U.S., Canada and their allies.
Several countries have resorted to unusual methods of helping people pass through the airport entrances.
Afghans with links to Spain have reportedly been advised to yell “Espana” (Spain) at forces at the gate, or to bring along a Spanish flag. A reporter for the Toronto Sun tweeted that Canadian forces had advised Afghans seeking evacuation flights to “wear red,” in reference to the Canadian flag.
Meanwhile, relatives of one Afghan interpreter who worked with Australian forces claimed he was told his request for evacuation could only be processed by mail. The interpreter's family told ABC News that he has now abandoned attempts to flee to Australia as mailing his papers was untenable, and is seeking help from the U.S.
A source familiar with Qatar's evacuation process confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that their ambassador in Kabul has been driving American evacuees in his own car to the airport because the Taliban “respect” him. Qatar is working as a mediator between the Taliban and Western officials.
The Taliban has blamed the unrest on U.S. troops who are rushing to rescue citizens before the deadline, which the Taliban has so far refused to extend.
It came as a leaked diplomatic cable seen by NBC News said Afghan workers at the U.S. Embassy had claimed “it would be better to die under the Taliban's bullet” than make another risky attempt to enter the airport.
The cable went on to say that staff felt betrayed by the U.S. withdrawal, and were distrustful of the evacuation efforts due to their “brutal experience” travelling unescorted to the airport.
On Monday, the U.S. confirmed that the total number of its citizens and Afghans rescued from Kabul since the Taliban takeover had risen to 37,000.
The Pentagon denied reports that Afghans who had applied for special immigrant visas were being told by U.S. officials to stay away from the airport. The denial appeared to contradict an earlier statement by John Johnson, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, who told CNN that the U.S. was “currently prioritizing American citizens and legal permanent residents.”
It has also emerged that a convicted Afghan gang member managed to talk his way onto one of Denmark's evacuation flights and then tried to use his brother's name to get past police registering evacuees at Copenhagen Airport.
The incident raises questions as to whether the chaotic scenes at the airport are allowing Afghans who have not worked with Western journalists and armies to slip out of the country.
Switzerland and Hungary confirmed that they had evacuated hundreds of people from Kabul Airport, while French special forces were deployed to rescue 260 Afghan EU workers.
David Martinon, France's ambassador to Afghanistan, said the troops had co-operated with U.S. forces and managed to escort them inside the airport, adding: “Bravo to the EU.”
In Hungary, officials said they had evacuated 173 people, many of them at the request of the U.S. and Austria, who were taken to Budapest via Uzbekistan.
The United Arab Emirates is also flying civilians to the U.S. while Bahrain has deployed a commercial airliner to take refugees to Dulles airport in Virginia. Jordan's foreign ministry has said it will allow 2,500 Afghans to pass through the kingdom en route to the United States.
The unrest is hampering the efforts of aid agencies who said Monday they were unable to transfer 500 tonnes of medical supplies, including surgical equipment and malnutrition kits.