Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1; Taliban mass near Panjshir
Kabul(AP): A firefight at one of the gates of Kabul's international airport killed at least one Afghan security officer early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.
The shooting near the military side of the airport came as the Taliban sent fighters northward to face a nascent rebellion against the insurgents who seized the country over a week ago in a lightning offensive. So far, the Taliban said there had been no fighting though the rebels already have seized three rural districts in the mountains of the Hindu Kush.
Though the security forces of Afghanistan's central government largely collapsed or fled the Taliban advance, some armed Afghans remain at Kabul airport assisting Western countries and others as they struggle to evacuate those gathered there. It remains unclear whether they belong to the Afghan border forces that once guarded the airport or whether they were attached to the Western militaries as private armed guards now providing security there.
The gunfire that killed the Afghan officer early Monday broke out near the airport's northern gate the same scene of chaos that on Saturday saw a crush of a panicked crowd kill seven Afghan civilians.
Who opened fire and the circumstances of the shooting around 6:45 a.m. local time remained unclear. However, the German military said in a tweet that one member of the Afghan security forces was killed and three others were wounded by unknown attackers.
The U.S. military and NATO did not immediately acknowledge the shooting. The Taliban as well did not acknowledge the incident.
The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world as thousands of Afghans poured into the facility last week. In the chaos, some plunged to their deaths while hanging onto an American C-17 taking off from the runway. At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday.
The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military, saying there's no need for Afghans to fear them, even though their fighters shoot into the air and beat people with batons as they try to control the crowds outside the airport perimeter.
The Taliban have pledged amnesty to those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government, but many Afghans still fear revenge attacks. There have been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies. It's unclear if Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters are taking matters into their own hands.
As the airlift continues, the U.S. government has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, requesting 18 aircraft from U.S. carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees after they are evacuated to other countries. The voluntary program, born in the wake of the Berlin airlift, adds to the military's capabilities during crises.
Already early Monday, a Delta Air Lines flight part of those evacuations landed in Dubai and later took off for Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where evacuees already crowd hangars there. A steady stream of military transport planes continue to fly people out of Kabul to airfields across the Mideast.
There also have been concerns about a potential attack on the Kabul airport by a local Islamic State affiliate, whether through suicide bombers targeting the gathered crowds there or using portable surface-to-air missiles to bring down aircraft. U.S. military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff, measures used to, prevent missile attacks.
Meanwhile in Baghlan province, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Kabul, fighters calling themselves the People's Uprising claimed to have seized three districts in the Andarab Valley, nestled the Hindu Kush. Others have gathered in Panjshir province, the only of Afghanistan's 34 provinces not to fall to the Taliban.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents' forces had begun surrounding Panjshir province. Amurllah Saleh, Afghanistan's vice president under the country's absent President Ashraf Ghani, wrote on Twitter that Taliban fighters have massed near the province after facing ambushes.
Mujahid said the Taliban planned to open negotiations with those in Panjshir.
So far there has been no fight, he said. "We prefer to find a peaceful solution for Panjshir.”
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Trump threatens to bomb Iran if no deal by Wednesday amid uncertainty over peace talks
Washington/Islamabad (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to bomb Iran if they do not agree to a deal before the end of the two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, even as Pakistan urged the two sides to extend the truce and give diplomacy a chance.
Trump had indicated that his team of negotiators could reach Islamabad by Monday night for talks, while the Iranian delegation was also expected to travel to Islamabad, but so far, there was no sign of any peace maker in Islamabad.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday evening said his country was still waiting for a formal response from Iran regarding its participation in the second round of talks with the US.
Underlining that the ceasefire ends at 4:50 am PST Wednesday, he said, "Decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of the two-week ceasefire is critical."
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Trump said that if the ceasefire ends without an agreement, he is prepared to resume attacking Iran. "I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with,” he told CNBC’s 'Squawk Box'.
When asked if he would extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow time for the peace talks to reach a deal to end the war, Trump said, “Well, I don’t want to do that.”
“They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves on a very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he added.
The President said he thinks the US is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war.
"I think they have no choice,” Trump said when asked about his expectations from the second round of negotiations with Iran.
"We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” he said.
“We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational,” Trump said. “It is regime change, no matter what you want to call it, which is not something I said I was going to do, but I’ve done it indirectly.”
The first round of the US-Iran talks held on 11 and 12 April failed to produce the desired results for the parties, leading to a flurry of activities by host Pakistan to cool tempers and raise hopes for another round of dialogue.
Amidst uncertainty over the US-Iran talks, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged the two sides to extend the two-week ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance.
Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, met US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A Baker in Islamabad and discussed recent regional developments.
Dar underscored Pakistan’s consistent emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable means to address challenges and achieve lasting regional peace and stability, the foreign office said in a statement.
“He stressed the need for engagement between the United States and Iran, urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire, and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” it said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also met the envoys of the US and Iran on Tuesday and discussed matters related to the peace talks.
Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong called on Dar and discussed the latest regional developments, the FO said.
Jiang conveyed China’s full support for and appreciation of Pakistan’s continued efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran for sustained peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Dar reaffirmed the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, underscored the strength of bilateral ties, and emphasised the importance of sustained high-level exchanges between the two countries.
He also held a telephonic conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the latest regional developments.
They emphasised the importance of dialogue and engagement for peace and stability, and agreed to remain in close contact, according to FO.
Despite ambiguity, Trump expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead, and he wished for an agreement to prevent further oil price rises and stock market shocks, but insisted Iran cannot have the means to develop a nuclear weapon.
Pakistan launched preparations on Sunday by deploying over 10,000 personnel to provide security to the foreign delegates.
Though some reports suggested that security teams from the two countries were already in the Pakistani capital to oversee preparations.
Citing three US sources, American news outlet Axios earlier reported that Vice President J D Vance is expected to depart for Islamabad by Tuesday morning for talks with Iran over a potential deal to end the war. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are likely to join Vance.
Tehran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz to strike a deal that averts a restart of the war, eases sanctions, but does not impede its nuclear program.
The situation remains fluid amid heated rhetoric from both sides. Still, there is hope that the second round would be held or at least the ceasefire would be extended, which is ending on Wednesday.
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran was tested once again on Sunday when a US guided-missile destroyer fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship after it tried to get past the US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, further angering the Iranians.
