(www.theslicenews.com): The U.S evacuation mission in Afghanistan has been halted by an attack at the Kabul Airport . The Pentagon has described two explosions near the Abby Gate, the main exit point at the Kabul Airport as a "complex attack." The Pentagon cofirmed the bombings Thursday morning. At least one of the bombings is suspected to have been carried out by a suicide bomber. The United States State Department put out an alert indicating that there was also gunfire mixed in with the two bombings. Officials have not confirmed the source of the attacks although there have been threats from the Taliban.
Casualities have been reported in the midst of the catastrophe. The Associated Press reported on Thursday morning that the incident killed at least 2 people and wounded 15 based on information from Russian officials. By the after noon, CNN reported 13 dead and 52 wounded. "Very large numbers of people have been killed," a CNN reporter on the ground stated. U.S. officials do beleive some of the casualites include American citizens, but the numberns and details are still coming in and are difficult to verify.
Evacuees were located outside of the Abbye gate and the the Barron Hotel on the perimeter of the airport.
The unidentified extremists struck the airport days before the U.S. is scheduled to fully pull out of Afghanistan, which is next Tuesday. They have delivered the familiar violence that so many feared would come as the U.S. and its allies rescue masses of weary Afghanis seeking refuge in foreign lands.
Pres. Joe Biden has been under scrutiny for sticking to the Aug. 31 deadline, having ramped up withdrwal efforts that saw an unprecendented number of flights transporting some 70,000 Afghan refugees to allies and the U.S. withing one week. The White House says Biden was responding to intelligence reports of imminent danger and wnated to get as many American and allied Afghans out of the country as fast as possible. The president has mentioned that ISIS K was a threat and stated he does not trust the Taliban even though they agreed to cooperate with the withdrawal mission. Determining the source of the terror is complicated by factors such as an on-going civil war, the presence of several enemy factions, and the adsence of a formal government, which goes against Biden's insticnt not to negotiate with terrorists.
Pres. Biden promised a "swift and forceful response" if the mission was disrupted with an attack.
Just last night the U.S. Embassy told Americans not to go the Abbey Gate in a threat warning signaling the security level was compromised.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel advsory blocking travel to Afghanistan on Augut 21. Due tot eh explosion, they reiterated the travel ban on Thruday in an advisotry that includes a check list. of actions to tack during this emergency.
STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL WARNING
Event: EXPLOSION AT THE ABBEY GATE OF KABUL AIRPORT, REPORTS OF GUNFIRE
There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire.
U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time.
U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.
Actions to take:
Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds.
Follow the instructions of local authorities including movement restrictions related to curfews.
Have a contingency plan for emergencies and review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program(STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
Families of people in Afghanistan may follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter. for importnat information and updates.