Afghanistan: Shots fired as Italian aircraft assisting leave Afghans leaves Kabul

Shots were fired as an aircraft moving Afghan civilians left Kabul, according to sources within the Italian defence ministry.

Those on board the Italian airforce aircraft reported hearing loud bangs minutes after remove on Thursday.

A source informed the Reuters news firm the aircraft was not harmed in the occurrence.

It’s uncertain whether the shots were fired at the aircraft or in its area, possibly to distribute crowds who have actually collected at the airport.

An Italian reporter taking a trip on the flight informed Sky 24 TG that the aircraft had actually been bring practically 100 Afghan civilians at the time.

There have actually been increased stress around the airport in Kabul in current days as the August 31 due date nears for foreign forces to leave the nation.

British people still in Afghanistan have actually been alerted to prevent the location due to the fact that of the high threat of a terrorist attack.

Thousands of individuals have actually been collecting to attempt to get on aircrafts leaving the country after the Taliban took control.

Frantic scenes have actually been experienced amidst worries individuals who assisted foreign powers might be not able to get away, leaving them to an unsure future under the brand-new rulers.

It’s not understood who was accountable for the shots or whether the aircraft was the designated target.

Various western powers, consisting of the UK and United States, have actually been airlifting individuals out of Afghanistan for the last 2 weeks.

In overall, around 88,000 individuals have actually been left up until now, the Pentagon stated on Wednesday.

The Taliban have actually promised not to attack Western forces throughout the evacuation, however firmly insist the foreign soldiers need to be out by America’s self-imposed due date of next Tuesday.

Earlier, British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey informed the BBC there was ‘very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack’ at the airport, potentially within ‘hours.’

Canadian forces stopped their evacuations of around 3,700 Canadian and Afghan people on Thursday, stating they had actually remained as long as they could.

Belgium has actually likewise ended evacuations due to the fact that of the threat of an attack while The Netherlands stated it anticipated to perform its last evacuation flight on Thursday.

It’s feared the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, referred to as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), after an old name for the area, might target Taliban fighters in addition to foreign soldiers.

‘Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group,’ stated a Taliban authorities, who spoke on condition of privacy.

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