Two blasts at Kabul airport; casualties include civilians, US service members

Washington

THERE were at least two explosions near Kabul's airport amid a huge evacuation effort from Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday, with civilians and US service members 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 and civilian casualties," Mr 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 Taliban official said at least 13 people were killed in the blast, including children, and many Taliban guards were wounded.

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 US Embassy in Kabul described "a large explosion" and said there had been reports of gunfire.

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 under way since the day before Taliban forces captured Kabul on Aug 15, capping a swift advance across the country as US and allied troops withdrew.

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official. Mr Biden was in a meeting with security officials about the situation in Afghanistan, where the US is in the final steps of ending its 20-year war, when the explosion was first reported, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The US has been racing to carry out the airlift before its military is set to fully withdraw from the country on Aug 31.

In an alert issued on Wednesday, the US Embassy in Kabul had advised citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately, citing unspecified "security threats".

A Western diplomat in Kabul said that areas outside the airport gates had been "incredibly crowded" again despite the warnings.

The US and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations in history, bringing out about 95,700 people, including 13,400 on Wednesday, the White House said on Thursday. REUTERS