Afghanistan: At least six dead in two explosions near Kabul airport
Two attacks took place near the capital’s airport, where thousands of Afghans are gathered hoping to flee the Taliban regime before August 31.
Two explosions occurred on Thursday, August 26, near Kabul airport, killing at least six people and injuring at least sixty others, the hospital run by the Italian NGO Emergency in Kabul, which received some of the victims, announced on Twitter. For several days, thousands of Afghans have been gathering in the area, hoping to be evacuated from the country, which has fallen into the hands of the Taliban.
According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the explosions occurred near Abbey Gate, one of the airport’s three access points, and close to the Baron Hotel. The hotel was notably used by the British military to prepare for evacuations.
Evacuations will continue.
The Pentagon also confirmed that some of the victims were American. “No French soldiers, police officers, or diplomats were involved in the Abbey Gate attack today,” tweeted France’s ambassador to Afghanistan, David Martinon.
Speaking from Dublin, where he is on a working visit, Emmanuel Macron said Thursday afternoon that France would make further attempts to evacuate “several hundred” Afghans from Kabul. These operations, which Mr. Martinon will oversee from Paris, the president added, noting that France would do “everything possible” to evacuate all these people, but without any guarantees due to the “extremely tense” security situation at Kabul airport.
For his part, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened an inter-ministerial crisis meeting Thursday afternoon, Downing Street announced. The outcome of this meeting is not yet known. The British Ministry of Defence has already stated that “no casualties have been reported among the British military or government.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the priority “remains to evacuate as many people as possible to a safe environment, as quickly as possible.” The final evacuation operations must be completed before the August 31 deadline.
Alerts about an imminent threat
Several Western countries, including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, urged their citizens to leave Kabul airport as quickly as possible overnight Wednesday to Thursday due to “terrorist” threats. The US State Department stated that people “currently at the Abbey, East, and North entrances should leave immediately,” citing “security threats.” AFP
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