German military reports deadly firefight involving U.S. forces at Kabul Airport
23 August 2021
A deadly "firefight" erupted at Kabul's airport on Monday between Western security forces and Afghan guards, the German military's Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command said.
Details: An Afghan guard died and three others were wounded in the fight, which also involved American and German forces, according the Bundeswehr's statement. Thousands of Afghans and foreigners seeking to leave Afghanistan were at the airport when the firefight began at the North Gate of the airport, per Reuters.
- The Bundeswehr's statement did not say whether the guard killed at the airport's North Gate was a Taliban fighter.
The big picture: There have been chaotic scenes at the airport since the Taliban took control of Kabul on Aug. 15, with several people losing their lives as they sought to flee Afghanistan.
- The Biden administration did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.