Suicide Bombing Near Kabul Airport Results in Several Casualties
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Pentagon confirms that an explosion took place near the Afghan capital, while the number of US and Afghan casualties remains unclear.
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A scene from the Kabul airport following the bombing
Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, confirmed that an explosion had taken place outside the Kabul airport, saying "Casualties are unclear at this time." Reuters reported that many US officials said the blast appeared to be a suicide attack.
A Taliban official stated that the casualties were no less than 13, among which were children. "Many Taliban guards were wounded," he added.
Later on, an Afghan health official confirmed, in the latest tally, that the explosion left at least 30 dead and 120 injured, while another announced that the death toll has reached 40.
An ISIS militant wearing a suicide vest was responsible for the bombing, two US officials and a witness told Politico.
A Pentagon official reported that 5 US soldiers have been injured so far.
Reuters quoted a US official saying US soldiers were among those injured in the Kabul airport blast. The same agency also reported that only three soldiers had been injured.
In parallel, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby later stated that "a number of US service members were killed" in the attack, adding that several were injured as well.
Fox News said the suicide bomber stood among US and British citizens, reporting that it injured at least 3 US marines.
More photos are coming from #Kabul airport. Chaos everywhere. pic.twitter.com/ZxUokOP9Fc
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) August 26, 2021
In turn, a White House official reported that President Biden had been briefed on the blast.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the blast outside Abbey Gate at Kabul's airport resulted in an unknown number of casualties.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said the two blasts outside the airport resulted in no damages to the Turkish forces. This comes after the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that it started withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan. 500 Turkish soldiers were in Afghanistan as part of a non-combat mission in the country.
In a similar vein, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it is working to determine what happened outside the Kabul airport and to assess its repercussions on the evacuation efforts.
In turn, the French ambassador to Afghanistan warned of an expected second explosion near the Kabul airport, calling on people to stay away from the area.
