[UPDATED] At least 6 killed in ‘complex’ assault on Kabul airport

KABUL – Two explosions rocked Kabul airport today, killing at least six people and injuring a dozen others after Western nations warned of an imminent terror threat and as thousands of people gathered hoping for a flight out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The blasts come as the August 31 deadline looms for the United States to withdraw its troops, and for Western countries to end their massive airlifts.

The “complex attack” near the airport caused a number of US and civilian casualties, tweeted Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

According to the city’s main emergency hospital, at least six people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the blasts.

US President Joe Biden earlier cited an “acute” terrorist threat from the regional chapter of the Islamic State group.

An AFP journalist here saw a plume of smoke rising into the sky from a site near the airport.

“When people heard the explosion, there was total panic. The Taliban then started firing into the air to disperse the crowd at the gate,” said a witness on condition of anonymity.

“I saw a man rushing with an injured baby in his hands.”

The US government and its allies earlier in the day raised the alarm with a series of advisories warning their citizens to avoid the airport.

No specifics were given in the terror advisories, but Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo referred to a threat from suicide bombers.

London also issued a warning to its citizens, saying: “If you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately.”

‘Truly heartbreaking’

More than 95,000 Afghans and foreigners have fled Afghanistan via the US-led airlift since the hard-line Taliban movement took control of the country on August 15.

Despite the US and other warnings of a looming terror threat, huge crowds of people desperate to flee the Taliban continued to throng the airport, their bid for a way out becoming increasingly anxious ahead of the August 31 deadline set by Biden to end evacuations and withdraw troops.

Biden and his aides have not budged on the hard deadline – even as some foreign nations warned that they will be forced to leave at-risk Afghans behind.

The Pentagon earlier today reiterated that operations will continue until the cut-off.

But, several Western allies have already wrapped up their airlift operations including Canada, whose government said it is “truly heartbreaking” to leave behind those who want to be rescued.

IS threat

In recent years, IS’ Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in those countries. It has massacred civilians at mosques, shrines, public squares, and even hospitals.

The group has especially targeted Muslims from sects it considers heretical, including Shias.

But while IS and the Taliban are both hard-line Sunni Islamist militants, they are rivals and oppose each other. 

The Taliban has promised a softer brand of rule from its first stint in power, which ended in 2001 when the US invaded because the insurgents gave sanctuary to al-Qaeda.

But, many Afghans fear a repeat of the Taliban’s brutal interpretation of shariah law, as well as violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions or the previous US-backed government.

There are particular concerns for women, who were largely banned from education and employment, and could only leave the house with a male chaperone during the group’s 1996-2001 rule. – AFP, August 26, 2021