The branch of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS), which is active in Afghanistan, claimed the attack for itself. The US had previously blamed the so-called IS Khorasan for the attack. The US military does not believe that the militant Islamist Taliban had a hand in it.
The Taliban also wanted US troops to leave the country by August 31, said Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command responsible for the region. As long as you have this common goal, the cooperation with the Taliban has been very useful so far.
Further attacks expected
McKenzie said the attack was carried out by at least two suicide bombers. After the detonations, a number of IS fighters opened fire on civilians and soldiers. Further attacks by the extremist group are to be expected.
The US armed forces continue the evacuation mission in Kabul even after the devastating terrorist attack at the airport of the Afghan capital. “We are carrying out the order,” said US General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads the US Central Command Centcom, on Thursday in a video link with journalists in the Pentagon.
Two explosions not far from the airport
According to preliminary information, there were two explosions near the airport on Thursday. One occurred at one of the airport gates, another at a nearby hotel. There were fears that the death toll would rise significantly. Dozens of victims were seen on videos.
According to the US Department of Defense, several American soldiers were also killed, the US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby announced on Thursday – without giving an exact number. Several US soldiers were injured, and several Afghans were also victims of the attack. The US soldiers who have now been killed are the first American soldiers to be violently killed in Afghanistan since the US agreement with the Taliban in February 2020.
Children among the dead?
The non-governmental organization Emergency spoke of at least six people killed. More than 60 others were injured, said the NGO, which operates a local hospital. A Taliban representative initially spoke of 13 deaths, including several children and Taliban members. Later, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said at least 52 people were injured. There were also deaths, but the number is still unclear.
UN Secretary General António Guterres invited the veto powers to a crisis meeting in view of the chaotic situation and the tense security situation in Afghanistan. According to diplomatic circles, the ambassadors of the USA, China, Russia, Great Britain and France will meet with the UN chief on Monday in New York to discuss the situation.
Taliban condemn attack
A Taliban representative condemned the attack at the airport. “Attacks on innocent civilians are acts of terrorism,” a representative of the Islamists told the Turkish TV broadcaster Habertürk. The fact that such attacks took place was due to the presence of foreign troops.
According to initial findings, there were two explosions in front of the airport – one at one of the airport gates and one at a nearby hotel. A picture shared on Twitter, apparently taken from inside the airport, showed a large cloud of smoke.
The local TV station ToloNews published pictures on Twitter showing injured people being transported in wheelbarrows. An eyewitness told the TV station that the explosion was very powerful. Some people fell into the water – there is a long moat at one gate – and several foreign soldiers fell to the ground. He also saw the dead.
The well-connected Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwari wrote on Twitter that a suicide bomber blew himself up in a large crowd. At least one other attacker then opened fire. Sarwari cited several eyewitnesses in the area.
After the explosion, US soldiers used tear gas at another airport gate to drive people apart, said a Kabul resident who was at the gate. He estimated that 2,000 to 4,000 people were standing there at the time. Several women and girls were injured by the tear gas.
Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Turkey said there were no soldiers from their countries among the victims. There is no evidence that Austrians were harmed in the attack on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said on request.
Evacuations are becoming more and more difficult
In view of the terrorist threat and the evacuation flights coming to an end, it is becoming increasingly difficult to evacuate the dozen remaining Austrians from Afghanistan. The efforts to support Austrians and people with Austrian residence permits to leave the country continued at full speed, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Gabriele Juen on Thursday. The Foreign Ministry’s crisis teams would continue their efforts in neighboring countries to provide the best possible support to the Austrians on site and also to help at the borders with neighboring countries if they were to leave the country by land.
89 Austrians have so far been brought from Afghanistan. However, Austria does not organize its own evacuation flights, but asked other countries – including Germany – to take the people affected with them.
Germany ended the mission
However, Germany ended its evacuation mission on Thursday due to the impending withdrawal of US forces from the airport and the threat of terrorism. On Thursday evening (local time), the last three machines with vulnerable people on board took off in Kabul. All German soldiers, diplomats and remaining police officers had been flown out of the Afghan capital, said German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Berlin after the last machine had started.
Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Canada, among others, have also stopped their evacuations, France was planning to do so on Friday. The US military again flew more than 13,000 people within 24 hours. According to the White House, the United States and its partners have flown more than 95,000 people.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, 20 buses with French citizens and other people who are to be protected were standing in front of the gates of the airport in the evening. However, a successful evacuation cannot be guaranteed. The Dutch government also expected that the last of its machines for evacuation flights will take off in Kabul on Thursday, according to a briefing from parliament. Hungary has also already withdrawn its two military machines that were involved in the evacuations, as the Ministry of Defense announced in Budapest.
The situation is worsening dramatically
The security situation around the airport had worsened significantly in the past few hours. Several countries had warned of the threat of terrorism. The US embassy had called on US citizens who were at Abbey Gate, East Gate or North Gate on Thursday night to leave the area “immediately”. Britain’s Secretary of Defense, James Heappey, spoke on Thursday morning of the threat of a “serious, immediate, fatal attack” within hours on the airport or the centers used by Western troops.
Since the militant Islamist Taliban came to power, thousands of people have tried to flee Afghanistan. For more than a week, they have been gathering around various entrances to the airport to get on an evacuation flight. The conditions around the airport were dramatic – several people were killed.
Some international partners had asked the USA to extend the mission in order to have more time for the evacuations. The military operation is dependent on the US troops. Taliban fighters are said to have already intercepted and killed several terrorist militia attackers at their checkpoints near the airport, according to military circles.
Many flee to Pakistan
Meanwhile, more and more Afghans are leaving for Pakistan. At least 10,000 Afghans crossed the border at Spin Boldak / Khaman every day, said a border official from the dpa. Previously there were around 4,000 on normal days. Most are on their way to relatives in cities and regions not far from the border. Pakistan has received millions of Afghan refugees for 40 years. There are currently 1.4 million Afghans officially registered as refugees and around 600,000 undocumented Afghans.
The Balkan countries Albania and Kosovo also declared their readiness to take in around 6,000 people, at least temporarily. The EU interior ministers want to discuss the situation in Afghanistan next Tuesday. It should also be about migration towards Europe.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August.
