Afghanistan: Blasts near Kabul airport kill 60 Afghans, 13 US troops

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops Afghan and US officials saidThe US general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others and flights out were continuingGen Frank McKenzie head of US Central Command said there was a large amount of security at the airport and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in About 5000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield McKenzie saidThe blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack urging people to leave the airport But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an Americanled evacuation before the US officially ends its 20year presence on Aug 31The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channelAlso Read Kabul blasts Islamic State claims responsibility says it targeted US troops and AfghansThe IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz The Taliban were not believed to have been involved in the attacks and condemned the blastsIn an emotional speech from the White House US President Joe Biden said the latest bloodshed would not drive the US out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled and that he had instructed the US military to develop plans to strike ISldquoWe will not forgive We will not forget We will hunt you down and make you payrdquo Biden saidUS officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died Another service member died hours later Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow More than 140 Afghans were wounded an Afghan official saidOne of the bombers struck people standing kneedeep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun throwing bodies into the fetid water Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze their own clothes darkened with bloodEmergency an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrivedldquoSurgeons will be working into the nightrdquo said Marco Puntin the charitys manager in Afghanistan The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added he saidThe Afghan official who confirmed the overall Afghan toll spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief mediaPentagon spokesman John Kirby said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gateHe said the Taliban has been screening people outside the gates though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursdays attacks to happen He said the US has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airports perimeterAdam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside whats known as the Abbey gate He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded including some who were maimedThe second blast was at or near Baron Hotel where many people including Afghans Britons and Americans were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation Additional explosions could be heard later but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by US forces to destroy their equipmentA former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airportldquoAll 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 AK47 Paul ldquoPenrdquo Farthing told Britains Press Association news agencyFarthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan along with the groups rescued animalsHe is among thousands trying to flee Over the last week the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of Americas longest war and the Talibans takeover as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants brutal rule When the Taliban were last in power they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictionsAlready some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats signaling the beginning of the end of one of historys largest airlifts The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by Americas selfimposed deadline of Aug 31 mdash and the evacuations must end then tooEven so the airlift continued Thursday though the number of evacuees fell for a second day as the terror attack and further threats kept people away From 3 am to 3 pm Washington time about 7500 people were evacuated a White House official said Fourteen US military flights carried about 5100 and 39 coalition flights carried 2400The total compared to 19000 in one 24hour period toward the start of the weekIn Washington Biden spent much of the morning in the secure White House Situation Room where he was briefed on the explosions and conferred with his national security team and commanders on the ground in KabulOvernight warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS which has seen its ranks boosted by the Talibans freeing of prisoners during its advance through AfghanistanShortly before the attack the acting US ambassador to Kabul Ross Wilson said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was ldquoclearly regarded as credible as imminent as compellingrdquo But in an interview with ABC News he would not give detailsLate Wednesday the US Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat Australia Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airportTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport where the groups fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavyhanded tactics to control the crowds After the attack he appeared to shirk blame noting the airport is controlled by US troopsBefore the blast the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at those gathered at one airport gate to try to drive the crowd away as someone launched tear gas canisters elsewhereNadia Sadat a 27yearold Afghan carried her 2yearold daughter with her outside the airport She and her husband who had worked with coalition forces missed a call from a number they believed was the State Department and were trying to get into the airport without any luck Her husband had pressed ahead in the crowd to try to get them insideldquoWe have to find a way to evacuate because our lives are in dangerrdquo Sadat said My husband received several threatening messages from unknown sources We have no chance except escapingrdquoAman Karimi 50 escorted his daughter and her family to the airport fearful the Taliban would target her because of her husbands work with NATOThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever