One Afghan Soldier Killed During Gunfire Outside Kabul Airport

On Monday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that one Afghan soldier was killed and several were wounded during gunfire outside Kabul airport. The wounded soldiers are being treated at an airfield hospital and are in stable condition.

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“There was a brief exchange of gunfire last night outside the north gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The incident appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces involved in monitoring access to the gate," the CENTCOM explained. 

"The security forces returned fire in keeping with their right of self-defense... no U.S. or coalition forces were hurt during the gunfire," it added.

The United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from Afghanistan since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Aug. 15. The Pentagon said that around 16,000 people have been evacuated out of the country through Kabul airport in the last 24 hours.

On Monday, Canada acknowledged that its special forces have been "operating outside the limits of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in order to provide information on what is happening on the ground."

They also have been involved in the rescue of people who need to leave Afghanistan. So far, Canada has made 13 flights to evacuate some 1,700 people, including Canadian citizens and Afghan refugees.

Following the fall of Kabul, Ottawa announced that it would grant refuge to some 20,000 "vulnerable" Afghans such as journalists, activists, government officials, and families of those who have served with the Canadian military and diplomatic forces since 2001.