As many as 13 people were killed in two explosions near Kabul airport on Thursday, with one of them suspected to be a suicide bomb attack. A video shared on social media captured one of the blasts that ripped through the airport in Afghanistan’s capital city where a massive international airlift is underway. Follow Live Updates.
The video shared on Twitter showed a thick plume of smoke covering the sky above. It is, however, unclear which of the two explosions the video had captured.
Another blast reported outside #Kabul airport – Al Jazeera pic.twitter.com/r492deZq3s— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) August 26, 2021
According to Reuters, civilians and US service members were among the casualties. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one blast occurred near the airport’s Abbey Gate and the other close to the nearby Baron Hotel. Two US officials said at least one of the explosions appeared to be from a suicide bombing.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties,” Kirby said on twitter. “We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.”
A US official told Reuters as many as three US service members were among those hurt, and that US casualty numbers were expected to increase, according to initial information. At least one of the US personnel was seriously hurt, an official said.
The explosion came after the United States and allies urged Afghans to leave the area because of a threat by Islamic State.
A massive airlift of foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans has been underway since the day before Taliban forces captured Kabul on August 15, capping a swift advance across the country as U.S. and allied troops withdrew.
(With Reuters inputs)
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