Afghan security officer dead in shooting at Kabul airport

BERLIN

One Afghan security officer was killed and three others were injured when unidentified armed men fired at the north gate of Kabul airport in Afghanistan, the German military said on Monday.

The US and German troops returned the fire after Afghan security guards were targeted by unknown assailants, the German military (Bundeswehr) said on Twitter.

There were no casualties or injuries among the German troops.

Germany is undertaking one of the largest airlift operations in its history to evacuate Afghan local staff and others in need of protection following the Taliban’s takeover of the Afghan capital Kabul on Aug. 15.

German military aircraft have so far evacuated more than 2,700 people, according to the military sources.

More than 10,000 Afghans affiliated with Germany, including those who worked for German development agencies and NGOs, human rights activists, and lawyers, are still trying to flee the country, according to local media reports.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government has been sharply criticized by the public for failing to evacuate thousands of Afghan support staff and their families from the country before the Taliban’s takeover.