A pair of bombing attacks has left multiple people dead, including children and US Marines on Thursday after terrorists attacked Kabul Airport and a nearby hotel on Thursday, the Pentagon has confirmed.
US service members and civilians killed in “complex attack” at Kabul airport and nearby hotel
The Pentagon confirmed that a “complex attack” occurred at Kabul airport and the nearby Baron Hotel on Thursday leaving multiple people and US service members dead.
A suicide bomber targeted the Abbey Gate at Kabul’s airport which set off a firefight, Fox reported. Last night there were 5,000 Afghans and potentially some Americans seeking access to the airport. A second explosion occurred at the Baron Hotel, where Americans gathered in the past for rescue and evacuation.
One explosion ripped through crowds who were waiting at Abbey gate, one of the four entrances to the airport where thousands of people have been gathering every day, desperate to get flights out of the country after Kabul fell to the Taliban, CBS reported. At least 3 sources told CBS that a suicide bomber was responsible for the attack.
The New York Post reported the airport blast was caused by an ISIS fighter wearing a vest filled with explosives, and that at least 13 were dead, including children. Media reports vary saying at least 3-4 US Marines were killed in the airport blast. The Post said that US officials have not confirmed which incident involved a suicide vest and which incident involved a car bomb, but they strongly believe ISIS is to blame for the twin attacks.
Official US statements on attacks
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby wrote in a tweet. “We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.”
“A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack,” Kirby added in another tweet.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that up to 1,500 Americans may still be in Afghanistan.
Advance US & UK warning of terrorist threats
On Wednesday evening both the US and Britain warned their citizens to avoid going to Kabul’s airport because of a terror threat outside the Kabul airport gates. In addition, US Embassy alerted Americans to avoid traveling to the airport, warning those at three different gates “should leave immediately.”
President Joe Biden spoke earlier this week, warning of an ongoing threat posed by the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, ISIS Khorasan, or ISIS-K.
