World
Kabul airport blast: Over 80 killed, scores injured
Kabul: At least 90 people are thought to have died and more than 150 injured as a result of yesterday's attacks on the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul.
As per details, US forces were helping to evacuate Afghans to flee Taliban rule braced for more attacks on Friday after unidentified suicide bomber killed 85 people, including 13 US soldiers outside the gates of airport.
As per Taliban official, at least 28 of the Afghans killed were Taliban members
According to Associate Press (AP) news agency, two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.
Daesh, an Islamic State claimed responsibility for deadly terror attacks on Thursday, the group's Amaq News Agency said on its Telegram channel.
US officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. They said another 12 service members were wounded and warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.
The US general overseeing the evacuation vowed the United States would “go after” the perpetrators of the bombings, and warned that more such attacks are expected.
“We are working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who is associated with this cowardly attack. And we’re prepared to take action against them,” Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, told Pentagon reporters in a briefing. “Twenty-four-seven. We are looking for them.”
Shortly after McKenzie spoke, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. McKenzie said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing.
He said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. In addition to the many Afghans, the State Department estimated there were as many as 1,000 Americans in Afghanistan who may want help getting out.
Additional input from AP