Taliban fighters stand guard outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, a day after deadly attacks outside the airport. (AP)Kabul airport blasts LIVE updates: The Pentagon said on Friday that a deadly attack at the gate to Kabul airport in Afghanistan yesterday was carried out by one suicide bomber, not two. “I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” Army Major General William Taylor was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Meanwhile, the reported toll of the bombing outside Kabul’s airport rose sharply on Friday, with Afghan health officials saying that as many as 170 people were killed and at least 200 were wounded, the New York Times reported. Health officials’ estimate of the number of bombing victims, which did not include the 13 US service members killed and 15 wounded, was supported by interviews with hospital officials.
Taliban members outside the closed United States embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Image/The New York Times)
The suicide bomber who killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 US service members at the Kabul airport carried about 25 pounds of explosives loaded with shrapnel a US official said Friday. The massive amount of explosives and spray of shrapnel created such a large blast that it killed US troops who were inside the airport gate as well as troops and Afghans outside said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary assessments of the bombing.
The Pulitzer Prize Board announced a special citation Friday for people in Afghanistan who risked their safety to help produce news stories and images from their wartorn country.
From staff and freelance correspondents to interpreters to drivers to hosts courageous Afghan residents helped produce Pulitzerwinning and Pulitzerworthy images and stories that have contributed to a wider understanding of profoundly tragic and complicated circumstances the board said. The citation comes with a 100000 emergency relief grant intended to help men and women involved in journalism in Afghanistan either resettle or to continue their work safely.
The United States pressed on into the final days of the chaotic airlift from Afghanistan amid tighter security and warnings of more possible attacks Friday a day after a devastating suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed well over 100 Afghans and 13 US service members.
The US said more bloodshed could come ahead of President Joe Bidens fastapproaching deadline Tuesday to end the evacuations and withdraw American forces. The next few days will be our most dangerous period to date White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
President Joe Biden's national security team has told the president that another terror attack is "likely" in Kabul, and that "maximum force protection" measures are being taken at the airport in the Afghan capital.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not go into detail on the assessment Biden received from his team one day after a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and scores of Afghans outside the airport.
Here's the latest roundup of all that happened today in Afghanistan:
*According to The New York Times, the reported toll of the bombing outside Kabul’s airport rose sharply, with Afghan health officials saying that as many as 180 people were killed (including 13 US marines) and at least 200 were wounded.
*British foreign minister Dominic Raab said that 2 British nationals and the child of a third British national were also killed in Thursday's attack.
*The Pentagon said that the attack at the gate near Kabul airport was carried out by one suicide bomber, not two.
*Russia has called for rapid efforts to help form an inclusive interim government in Afghanistan, saying ISIS was trying to capitalise on the chaos in the country and endangering everyone.
*India said a vast majority of its citizens who wished to return home from Afghanistan have been evacuated and it is carefully monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country.
*German Defense Minister said her country has ended its evacuation mission in Afghanistan.
Two British nationals and the child of a third British national were killed in Thursday's attack at Kabul airport, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday.
According to The New York Times, the reported toll of the bombing outside Kabul’s airport rose sharply on Friday, with Afghan health officials saying that as many as 170 people were killed and at least 200 were wounded.
Health officials’ estimate of the number of bombing victims, which did not include the 13 U.S. service members killed and 15 wounded, was supported by interviews with hospital officials.
BBC News foreign producer Tony Brown shared footage of people boarding planes at Kabul. “Every single person here is fleeing for their lives and leaving their entire life behind. It’s quite hard to comprehend,” he said in a tweet.
The Pentagon said on Friday that a deadly attack at the gate to Kabul airport in Afghanistan yesterday was carried out by one suicide bomber, not two.
"I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber," Army Major General William Taylor was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Russia called on Friday for rapid efforts to help form an inclusive interim government in Afghanistan after a deadly attack at Kabul airport, saying Islamic State was trying to capitalise on chaos in the country and endangering everyone, news agency Reuters reported.
Russia said its intelligence services were working round the clock to prevent any spillover onto the territory of its allies in former Soviet Central Asia which the Kremlin sees as part of its southern defensive flank.
India on Friday said a vast majority of its citizens who wished to return home from Afghanistan have been evacuated and it is carefully monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India's focus has been to evacuate its citizens who are stranded in Afghanistan.
"We continue to monitor the situation very carefully. It is an evolving situation," he said at a media briefing.
Asked whether India will recognise a Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan, Bagchi said there is currently a lack of clarity or no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul. (PTI)
The UN refugee agency is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee from Afghanistan in a “worst-case scenario” in the coming months.
According to Associated Press, UNHCR says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last week “remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly,” with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing.
The agency said that would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who already are registered as refugees abroad — nearly all of them in Pakistan and Iran.
In an editorial in its weekly paper al Nabha last Friday, the Islamic State, in its first comments on the victory of the Taliban, dismissed it as a “Mullah Bradley” project, in other words, a United States proxy. The editorial criticised the “new Taliban” for wearing a “guise of Islam” to undermine the IS in the Af-Pak region, and questioned if it would implement Sharia in Afghanistan. The editorial also said it was preparing for a new phase of jihad.
Whether or not that was a reference to Afghanistan, with the double blast attack at Kabul airport on Thursday evening that killed over 100 and injured many more, the IS-Khorasan Province (ISKP), the Afghan chapter of the group, blamed by the US and other intelligence forces for the bombing, has announced that it is present in the “new Afghanistan” and intends to continue a deadly war with the Taliban. Read more here.
The Ministry of External Affairs Friday said that the vast majority of Indians who wished to return have been evacuated from Afghanistan. "Some more Indians likely to be in Afghanistan," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was quoted as saying by PTI.
The German defense minister says her country has ended its evacuation mission in Afghanistan. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the last of the German military aircraft and troops arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday evening.
She said that, in all, Germany evacuated 5,347 people from at least 45 nations, including more than 4,000 Afghans. However, according to Al-Jazeera, Germany says it believes that about 300 of its citizens are still in Afghanistan.
Sweden has ended its evacuation mission in Kabul, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Friday. "All in all some 1,100 people have been evacuated by the Foreign Ministry. All locally employed embassy staff and their families have been evacuated," Linde was quoted as saying by Reuters.
According to the Associated Press, as the call to prayer echoed through Kabul along with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowd outside the airport was as large as ever.
Dozens of Taliban members carrying heavy weapons patrolled one area about 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the airport to prevent anyone from venturing beyond.
What many had feared happened on Thursday: Scores of people were killed in several explosions at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport. The blast came after Western intelligence agencies warned citizens not to travel to the airport because of a credible terror threat.
The Afghan offshoot of the terror organization “Islamic State,” known as ISIS-Khorasan, IS-K or ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks. The group takes its name from the Khorasan Province, an area that once included wide swaths of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia in the Middle Ages. Click here to know more about ISIS-K.
TRT World sat down with Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid for an exclusive interview.
Devastating scenes unfolded at the Kabul airport on Thursday after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed over 100 people deepening the chaos in the final days of frantic evacuation efforts ahead of the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. The attacks killed dozens of Afghan civilians and at least 13 US service members. Click here to know how the international media covered the Kabul attacks.
Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban takeover and killed more than 100. The U.S. says further attempted attacks are expected ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending America’s longest war.
As the call to prayer echoed through Kabul with the whine of departing planes, the anxious crowd outside the airport was as large as ever. In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 meters from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.
Thursday’s bombings near Kabul’s international airport killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said, in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011. An official said Friday that the true toll could be higher because other people may have taken bodies away from the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. (AP)
Turkey has not made a final decision on a Taliban request for support to run the Kabul airport after foreign forces withdraw over security concerns and uncertainty there, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, adding talks were still underway.Officials told Reuters this week that the Taliban had asked Turkey for technical help to run the airport but demanded that Ankara's military pull out by an Aug. 31 deadline. The military began evacuations on Wednesday.
"The Taliban have made a request regarding the operation of the Kabul airport. They say, 'We'll ensure security and you can operate it'. But we have not made a decision yet because there is always a possibility of death and such things there," Erdogan told a news conference before departing for a visit to Bosnia. (Reuters)
China said on Friday it strongly condemned the Kabul airport attacks and hoped all parties would take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition, after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people. China has not received reports of any Chinese nationals being hurt, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing. (Reuters)
Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban takeover. The U.S. says further attempted attacks are expected ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending America's longest war.
Kabul residents said several flights took off Friday morning, while footage shared by a local Tolo TV correspondent showed the anxious crowd outside the airport as large as ever. Thursday's bombings near Kabul's international airport killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said, in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011. In an emotional speech, President Joe Biden blamed the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, far more radical than the Taliban militants who seized power less than two weeks ago. (AP)
Spain has concluded its evacuation of personnel from Afghanistan and all its diplomatic staff are safe in Dubai, newspaper El Pais reported on Friday, citing government sources. Two military planes carrying the last 81 Spaniards out of Kabul arrived in Dubai early on Friday morning, El Pais said. The Spanish defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)
awad Khan anxiously scrolled down the news on his cellphone, watching the chaos at Kabul airport as thousands of his fellow Afghans try to flee the Taliban-controlled country in the waning days of a massive airlift. Khan, 23, is stuck thousands of miles from home in a migrant camp in Bosnia, hoping to somehow reach Western Europe, and then help his brother in Afghanistan to join him. "The situation in Afghanistan is very bad," Khan said Thursday at the Lipa camp, near Bosnia's northwestern town of Bihac. "So every people want to go outside of Afghanistan — they want to live (a) good future and life."
Thousands of migrants, including many Afghans, are stranded in Bosnia and other Balkan countries while trying to reach wealthy European nations in search of a better future. From Bosnia, they try to cross neighbouring Croatia's closely guarded border before moving on. While many of these Afghan migrants left their homes months, or even years ago, the Western pullout and the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan have left them feeling even more vulnerable, and concerned about those they left behind. (AP)
At least 72 civilians were killed in the two explosions outside Kabul airport, a hospital source and a Taliban official in the Afghan capital said on Friday. In addition, at least 13 US soldiers were also killed in Thursday's attack. (Reuters)
On Dec 21, 2015, a suicide attacker rams an explosives-laden motorcycle into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol, killing six American troops. The soldiers were targeted as they moved through a village near Bagram Airfield. Here are some of the deadliest days for American military personnel.
US President Joe Biden has warned that it is in the interest of the Taliban, which is now the de facto ruler of Afghanistan, that the ISIS-K does not “metastasize” beyond what it is.
The US has held ISIS-K, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State terror outfit, responsible for Thursday’s Kabul airport attack in which 13 American soldiers were killed and 18 others injured. “It is in the interest of the Taliban that the ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday. Read More
India, while condemning the attacks outside Kabul airport that has killed at least 73 people, said such incidents “reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists”. In a statement late Thursday night, the external affairs ministry said, “India strongly condemns the bomb blasts in Kabul today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured.” Read more
An unnamed NATO diplomat told Reuters that all foreign forces are now aiming to evacuate their citizens and embassy employees from the country by Monday, 30 August – a day before the US deadline.
The diplomat added that Taliban forces will tighten security and add more forces to manage the crowds at the airports gates, and said, “Taliban leaders should investigate the Islamic State network in Kabul, they allowed thousands of prisoners to walk out of jails in recent weeks, security is their responsibility.” (Reuters)
Vice President Kamala Harris called the 13 American service members killed in Afghanistan “heroes” who died saving countless lives, in a statement released on Thursday night.
“Doug and I grieve for the Americans we lost, we pray for the Americans injured in the attack, and our hearts go out to their loved ones. We also grieve for the Afghan civilians killed and injured,” Harris wrote in the statement which was released shortly after she arrived in Hawaii for an event with US troops. “Our country is grateful to all our women and men in uniform, and in particular, those working today to get Americans and our Afghan partners out of harm’s way. And we will complete that mission,” she continued.
In an editorial in its weekly paper al Nabha last Friday, the Islamic State, in its first comments on the victory of the Taliban, dismissed it as a “Mullah Bradley” project, in other words, a United States proxy. The editorial criticised the “new Taliban” for wearing a “guise of Islam” to undermine the IS in the Af-Pak region, and questioned if it would implement Sharia in Afghanistan. The editorial also said it was preparing for a new phase of jihad. Read our Explainer to understand the clash between the two groups.
On Friday morning, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand was ending further flights into Kabul, due to the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks. Australia has also ended its airlift. The US has said it would press on with evacuation efforts despite the attack.
Speaking at a press conference alongside the defense force, Ardern said the window for evacuating people “has now closed” with the attack.
At least 28 of the 60 Afghans killed outside Kabul airport were Taliban members, officials of the group said.
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport on Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 12 US troops were killed, Afghan and US officials said. A US official said the complex attack was believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz and condemned the attack. (Reuters)
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that the country’s evacuation mission in Afghanistan has now ended and is moving to the “post-evacuation stage” – or accepting people fleeing Afghanistan as part of the humanitarian program. Morrison said that over the past nine days, 4,100 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan to head to Australia, including 3,200 Australian citizens or Afghan visa holders.
The country’s home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, says those who were evacuated will be processed in Dubai, and then brought to Australia, where they will be quarantined as per Covid rules. (AP)
The evacuation of civilians from Kabul has been accelerated after overnight attacks near the airport, a Western security official stationed at the airport told Reuters on Friday. Flights were taking off regularly, said the official, who declined to be identified.
Thirteen US soldiers were killed and 18 others injured in the attack outside the Kabul airport carried out by ISIS in one of the worst terrorist strikes in Afghanistan in over a year, the Pentagon has said.
The terrorist attack was carried out by ISIS gunmen, General Kenneth Franklin McKenzie, Commander of the United States Central Command, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference on Thursday, hours after the terrorists opened gunfire at American soldiers standing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (PTI)
The fate of around 210 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, who were scheduled to be airlifted to India, hung in balance on Thursday after two explosions were reported near Kabul’s airport. Since Wednesday, a batch of at least 140 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, have been trying to reach Kabul airport in order to be evacuated to Delhi by air. The group, however, had to return to the gurdwara at around 2 am on Thursday after a bus ferrying them came under gunfire near the airport. Read More
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff in honor of the U.S. service members and others killed in the attack in Afghanistan.
The speaker’s office said she had ordered the flags lowered Thursday after the bombings outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
The toll of service members who died has risen rose to 13, according to Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman at Central Command. The latest number of injured is now 18, all of whom were in the process of being evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with surgical units. (AP)
President Joe Biden presided over a moment of silence for US service members on Thursday following attacks at the Kabul airport that killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 Americans.
Biden held his moment of silence for those in uniform during sombre remarks at the White House.
Suicide bombings and gunfire killed 11 Marines and one Navy medic - attacks the US is blaming on the local affiliate of the Islamic State. The American service members had been carrying out screenings at the gates of the airport, where thousands of Afghans have crowded in for nearly two weeks in hopes of an evacuation. (AP)
US President Joe Biden, vowed on Thursday the United States will hunt down the attackers of twin explosions at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan and said he has asked the Pentagon to develop plans to strike back at Islamist militants.'We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,' he said in remarks at the White House. (Reuters)
Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the attack outside the Kabul airport.
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport on Thursday, killing at least 60 Afghans and 12 US troops, Afghan and US officials said. Read More
US President Joe Biden will be delivering his remarks regarding the terror attack on Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
The State Department says it is tracking roughly 1,000 American citizens who it believes may still be in Afghanistan, as evacuation efforts proceed despite deadly suicide attacks outside the Kabul airport.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Wednesday that some 1,500 US citizens were still thought to be in the country but the department said Thursday that it confirmed about 500 of them had been evacuated. (AP)
Another blast was heard in Kabul inside the airport a few moments ago. A spokesperson from the Taliban said "Explosions were heard inside Kabul airport after dinner today.These explosions were carried out by American forces to destroy their equipment, so that the citizens of Kabul do not worry."
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S. officials said.
U.S. officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. They said another 12 service members were wounded and warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said. Read More
Pentagon Press Secretary John F Kirby and US Central Command commander, Marine Corps Gen Kenneth F McKenzie Jr, holds a news briefing at the Pentagon. Twelve US service members were killed in the blasts which took place outside Kabul airport. CENTCOM chief said that they expect the ISIS attacks will continue in the region. "We'll continue to execute the mission despite this attack," says Gen Kenneth McKenzie Jr.
The Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the bomb blasts which took place outside Kabul airport today. "India strongly condemns the bomb blasts in Kabul today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured. Today’s attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
According to US officials, at least 10 US service members have been killed in the blast which took place outside Kabul airport.
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 13 people were killed and 15 wounded, Russian officials said.
Several Marines were killed and a number of other American military were wounded, a U.S. official said. It was not clear if those deaths were included in the Russian toll. (AP)
Afghan politician and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Kabul airport.
Norway can no longer assist in evacuating remaining citizens from Afghanistan's capital, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said on Thursday. "The doors at the airport are now closed and it is no longer possible to get people in," Soereide told broadcaster TV2. (Reuters)
The Taliban has condemned the blasts outside Kabul airport and said the attacks happened in an area 'controlled by US forces'.
Britain has issued a notice to airlines to avoid flying below 25,000 feet (7,620 metres) over Afghanistan after an attack near Kabul airport today.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the attackers targeting people hoping to leave Kabul via the airport. According to Reuters, Merkel said she will try to help people seeking to leave Afghanistan even after August 31.
Three US Marines were injured in the attack at Kabul airport, US officials told NBC news.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Thursday a "terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians" near the airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, a UN spokesman said.
"This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. He said that "as far as we know at this moment" there are no casualties among UN staff.
Even as the area was hit, a US official told Reuters that evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport, which Western governments earlier warned was a target.
One explosion went off in a crowd of people waiting to enter the airport, according to Adam Khan, an Afghan waiting nearby. He told the news agency that several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who lost body parts.
At least 52 people were injured in the blast near the Baron Hotel close to the Abbey Gate in Kabul airport, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban said. According to TOLO News, the spokesman confirmed that two explosions occurred in the area.