Huge explosion rocked Kabul airport, Taliban said 13 people died

(Dan Tri) – A member of the Taliban said at least 13 people were killed in an explosion at the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Many people wait to enter Kabul airport to evacuate (Photo: Reuters).

`We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in civilian and American casualties. We also confirm at least one other explosion near the Baron Hotel

US and allied officials said they had intelligence that suicide bombers were threatening to attack the airport.

The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul occurred hours after the US and British governments warned their citizens to avoid the airport because of the risk of attack.

People believed to be victims were injured in the explosion at Kabul airport (Photo: Twitter).

According to Sputnik, at least two explosions shook the area near Kabul airport today.

The first explosion occurred near the airport’s east gate, believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber.

A second explosion occurred near a hotel next to the airport.

Injured people are taken to hospital in Kabul after explosions at the airport (Photo: Asvaka News/Reuters).

Sputnik quoted a Taliban official as saying that up to 13 people were killed, including children, in consecutive explosions at Kabul airport.

Photos said to be taken from the scene show a number of civilians bleeding from injuries and being carried outside the blast area.

Afghan television station TOLO News showed scenes of chaos outside a hospital that received patients injured in the attack at Kabul airport.

The French Ambassador to Afghanistan asked people in the area near the airport to leave the area immediately because of concerns that another explosion could occur.

Risk of unrest at the airport

The US is said to be assessing the security situation around Kabul airport as worrying because of the `very specific threat` from ISIS-K – a branch of the notorious terrorist group Self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

A US defense official said that ISIS-K, the Taliban’s sworn enemy, appeared to have planned to attack a crowd of people trying to evacuate at Kabul airport to cause chaos in the capital.

The US Embassy in Kabul advised US citizens at several gates at the airport to `leave immediately`, citing `security threats outside these gates`.

Since the Taliban came to power on August 15, thousands of Afghans have flocked to Kabul airport out of fear that the Taliban may return to the extreme policy of governing the country according to Sharia Islamic law, as this force has done before.

The Taliban warned that all Afghan citizens would be banned from the airport and would only allow foreigners to evacuate.

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, from August 14 to August 25, the US evacuated more than 82,000 people from Afghanistan and currently the withdrawal of soldiers has also begun.

President Joe Biden earlier this week announced that he would maintain the plan to complete evacuation before August 31.