Several US marines killed, injured in blasts close to Kabul airport

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, reworking a scene of desperation into one in every of horror within the waning days of an airlift for these fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 13 folks have been killed and 15 wounded, Russian officers mentioned.
Several Marines have been killed and various different American army have been wounded, a US official mentioned. It was not clear if these deaths have been included within the Russian toll.

Statement on this morning’s assault at #HKIA: pic.twitter.com/Qb1DIAJQJU
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
One of the bombers struck folks standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal underneath the sweltering solar, throwing our bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out may very well be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their very own garments darkened with blood.
A US official mentioned the complicated assault was believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is much extra radical than the Taliban, who just lately took management of the nation in a lightning blitz and condemned the assault.

Western officers had warned of a significant assault, urging folks to depart the airport, however that recommendation went largely unheeded by Afghans determined to flee the nation in the previous few days of an American-led evacuation earlier than the US formally ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.
At least 13 folks died and 15 have been wounded, in response to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, which gave the primary official casualty rely. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby additionally confirmed the blasts and mentioned there have been casualties, together with amongst members of the army, however gave no determine. He mentioned one explosion was close to an airport entrance and one other was a brief distance away by a resort.

One official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate ongoing army operations, mentioned a number of Marines have been killed. It wasn’t clear if different US army troops have been among the many lifeless. American officers have mentioned that data remains to be coming in and they’re attempting to find out actual numbers of casualties.
Even as the realm was hit, evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport.
Adam Khan was ready close by when he noticed the primary explosion outdoors what’s referred to as the Abbey gate. He mentioned a number of folks appeared to have been killed or wounded, together with some who have been maimed.
The second blast was at or close to Baron Hotel, the place many individuals, together with Afghans, Britons and Americans, have been instructed to assemble in current days earlier than heading to the airport for evacuation.
A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his workers have been caught up within the aftermath of the blast close to the airport.

“All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47,” Paul ‘Pen’ Farthing instructed Britain’s Press Association information company.
Farthing is attempting to get workers of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, together with the group’s rescued animals.
He is amongst hundreds attempting to flee. Over the final week, the airport has been the scene of among the most searing pictures of the chaotic finish of America’s longest warfare and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those that concern a return to the militants’ brutal rule. When the Taliban have been final in energy, they confined girls largely to their house and extensively imposed draconian restrictions.
Already, some nations have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their troopers and diplomats, signaling the start of the top of one in every of historical past’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted international troops should be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31 and the evacuations should finish then, too.
In Washington, US President Joe Biden spent a lot of the morning within the safe White House Situation Room the place he was briefed on the explosions and conferred along with his nationwide safety crew and commanders on the bottom in Kabul.
Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals a few risk from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s releasing of prisoners throughout its advance via Afghanistan.
Shortly earlier than the assault, the appearing U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, mentioned the safety risk on the Kabul airport in a single day was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.” But in an interview with ABC News, he wouldn’t give particulars.
Late Wednesday, the US Embassy warned residents at three airport gates to depart instantly as a result of an unspecified safety risk. Australia, Britain and New Zealand additionally suggested their residents Thursday to not go to the airport.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any assault was imminent on the airport, the place the group’s fighters have deployed and infrequently used heavy-handed ways to regulate the crowds. After the assault, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is managed by US troops.
Before the blast, the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at these gathered at one airport gate to attempt to drive the gang away, as somebody launched tear gasoline canisters elsewhere.
Nadia Sadat, a 27-year-old Afghan, carried her 2-year-old daughter together with her outdoors the airport. She and her husband, who had labored with coalition forces, missed a name from a quantity they believed was the State Department and have been attempting to get into the airport with none luck. Her husband had pressed forward within the crowd to attempt to get them inside.
“We have to find a way to evacuate because our lives are in danger,” Sadat mentioned. “My husband received several threatening messages from unknown sources. We have no chance except escaping.” Aman Karimi, 50, escorted his daughter and her household to the airport, fearful the Taliban would goal her due to her husband’s work with NATO.
“The Taliban have already begun seeking those who have worked with NATO,” he mentioned. “They are looking for them house-by-house at night.” The Sunni extremists of IS, with hyperlinks to the group’s extra well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a sequence of brutal assaults, primarily concentrating on Afghanistan’s Shiite Muslim minority, together with a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul by which they killed girls and infants.
The Taliban have fought in opposition to Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, the place the Taliban have wrested again management almost 20 years after they have been ousted in a US-led invasion. The Americans went in following the 9/11 assaults, which al-Qaida orchestrated whereas being sheltered by the group.
Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, Canada ended its evacuations, and European nations halted or ready to cease their very own operations.

“The reality on the ground is the perimeter of the airport is closed. The Taliban have tightened the noose. It’s very, very difficult for anybody to get through at this point,” Canadian General Wayne Eyre, the nation’s appearing Chief of Defense Staff, mentioned forward of the assault.
Lt. Col. Georges Eiden, Luxembourg’s military consultant in neighboring Pakistan, mentioned that Friday would mark the official finish for US allies. But two Biden administration officers denied that was the case.
A 3rd official mentioned that the US labored with its allies to coordinate every nation’s departure, and a few nations requested for extra time and have been granted it.
“Most depart later in the week,” he mentioned, whereas including that some have been stopping operations Thursday. All three officers spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to debate the data publicly.
Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned earlier: “It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.” Denmark’s final flight has already departed, and Poland and Belgium have additionally introduced the top of their evacuations. The Dutch authorities mentioned it had been instructed by the US to depart Thursday.

But Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, mentioned some planes would proceed to fly.
“Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours. We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission,” he mentioned in a tweet.
The Taliban have mentioned they’ll enable Afghans to depart by way of business flights after the deadline subsequent week, however it stays unclear which airways would return to an airport managed by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin mentioned talks have been underway between his nation and the Taliban about permitting Turkish civilian specialists to assist run the ability.