Published 26 August 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images
Two explosions, one just outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and another at the nearby Baron Hotel, caused several casualties Thursday. The attacks came less than a day after the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens to get out of the area. Here’s what we know so far:
- Among those killed are 11 U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman, the Pentagon confirms.
- An Afghan official tells The Associated Press dozens of Afghans were killed and another 143 were wounded.
- Although it is not known who was responsible, a top U.S. general said the threat from the Islamic State group in Afghanistan is “very real.”
Update 3:46 p.m. ET:
The White House announced that President Biden will deliver remarks on the terror attack in Kabul at 5 p.m. ET from the East Room.
Press secretary Jen Psaki will brief reporters following Biden’s remarks at about 5:45 p.m.
Update 3:44 p.m. ET:
An Afghan official tells The Associated Press dozens of Afghans were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack outside Kabul airport.
Update 3:10 p.m. ET:
At a Pentagon news conference Thursday, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of Central Command, said 12 U.S. service members were killed and 15 were injured in Thursday’s attack at the Kabul airport.
Many Afghans were also killed and injured, but McKenzie did not provide numbers. He didn’t blame ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, but said the threat from the group is “very real.”
About 104,000 have been evacuated from Afghanistan, including nearly 5,000 Americans, he added.
Update 2:40 p.m. ET:
Two U.S. officials said at least 12 U.S. service members were killed in the Afghanistan bombings, including 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to The Associated Press.
Officials say a number of U.S. military troops were wounded and warn that more casualties are expected to be reported.
Update 2:28 p.m. ET:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the attacks at the Kabul airport “vile” and says her country will continue to help those who want to leave Afghanistan.
The last German military aircraft has left Afghan airspace, ending the country’s mission there, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced. “The safety of our soldiers has priority,” she said. “All are safe on their way home.”
Update 1:29 p.m. ET:
A U.S. official has confirmed with NPR that at least four U.S. Marines were killed in Thursday’s attack.
Update 1:17 p.m. ET:
The Pentagon says “a number of U.S. service members were killed” or wounded.
“We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement. “A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and injured,” Kirby added.
Update 12:56 p.m. ET:
The Taliban have condemned the blast outside the airport and said the area where the blast took place was controlled by the U.S.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote in a tweet, “The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where U.S. forces are responsible for security.”
He added that they were “paying close attention to the security.”
Separately, the former head of the Afghan government’s negotiating team and one of the leaders in negotiations with the Taliban, Abdullah Abdullah, also condemned the explosion.
Update 12:46 p.m. ET:
What is happening in Kabul is a “full-fledged humanitarian crisis,” the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a tweet. “Our government must secure the airport & evacuate the many US citizens & vulnerable Afghans desperately trying to leave the country.”
Update 12:21 p.m. ET:
Although U.S. forces have suffered casualties, there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities among British soldiers or government officials, the British defense ministry said. The ministry statement did not mention whether any British civilian trying to leave Afghanistan was hurt or killed.
Wali Sabawoon/AP
Update 12:10 p.m. ET:
The White House said President Biden had canceled his planned virtual meeting with governors about resettling Afghan refugees.
Biden met with his national security team Thursday morning, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and spoke with commanders on the ground, and will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation in Kabul throughout the day, the White House said.
Biden’s planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was postponed until Friday. A planned briefing by White House press secretary Jen Psaki was also delayed.
Update 11:55 a.m. ET:
The number of patients taken to Emergency, a highly respected trauma center in Kabul, is now around 60. In an earlier tweet, the nongovernmental organization said, “6 others already dead on arrival.”
This means the casualty count from the explosion is at least 60 wounded and at least 6 dead. U.S. officials earlier confirmed that three U.S. Marines were injured in the explosions.
Update 11:39 a.m. ET:
The explosion outside the Kabul airport is “definitely believed” to have been carried out by the Islamic State group, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Thursday attacks were carried out by two suicide bombers and gunmen.
Update 11:29 a.m. ET:
The main hospital in Kabul said it has received more than 30 patients. Six of them were dead on arrival, the hospital, run by an Italian nongovernmental organization, said in a tweet.
Update 11:04 a.m. ET:
The explosion at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airportwas “a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian casualties,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a tweet.
He added at another explosion took place near the Baron Hotel, located nearby.
