KABUL: A suspected suicide bomb exploded outside Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 13 people including children and wounded many Taliban guards, a Taliban official said, after the Western governments urged Afghans to leave the area because of a threat by Islamic State.
A US official said US service members were among the wounded, adding he was citing an initial report and cautioning that it could change. He said there were casualties but did not know how many or of what nationality.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby has also confirmed there was an explosion outside of the airport. “We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. We will provide additional details when we can,” he said in a tweet.
We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official. Biden was in a meeting with security officials about the situation in Afghanistan when the explosion was first reported, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The blast happened at one of the entry gates of the airport. Abbey Gate is one of three entrances to the airport where thousands of Afghans have congregated desperately seeking a place on an evacuation flight out.
Thousands of people have been gathering outside the airport in recent days. Western troops are racing to evacuate foreigners and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban, and to get out themselves by an August 31 deadline.
Britain’s defence ministry said it was working urgently to establish what had happened at Kabul airport following reports of an explosion. “We are working urgently to establish what has happened in Kabul and its impact on the ongoing evacuation effort,” the defence ministry said on Twitter.
Our primary concern remains the safety of our personnel, British citizens and the citizens of Afghanistan. We are in close contact with our US and other NATO allies at an operational level on the immediate response to this incident.
— Ministry of Defence Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) August 26, 2021
The Taliban, whose fighters are guarding the perimeter outside the airport, are enemies of the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), after an old name for the region.
“Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group,” said a Taliban official, who spoke on condition of anonymity and before the reports of the explosion.
