Following multiple warnings by officials of the UK, US and Australia that a terror attack at the Kabul airport was looming, multiple blasts have been reported in its vicinity, resulting in at least 13 dead and 15 wounded--with the actual toll likely to be higher as more reports come in.
The first blast was reported at the Abbey Gate outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport and is believed to be a suicide attack. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed that the explosion resulted in "a number of US & civilian casualties". The Taliban later said that 13 people had been killed.
Photos shared by Afghan news outlet TOLONews showed multiple people injured by the blast and being carried away on stretchers. Fox News reported at least three US troops were injured.
Later, another blast was reported near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from the Abbey Gate.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed about the explosion, CNN reported.
There was "very, very credible" intelligence that Islamic State militants are planning an imminent attack on those gathering at Kabul airport in an attempt to flee Afghanistan, British armed forces minister James Heappey had told BBC on Thursday.
Reuters had earlier reported the US embassy in Kabul had advised US nationals to avoid travelling to the Kabul airport and called on those at the gates of the airport to leave immediately. The embassy cited "security threats" as the reason for the warning.
Thousands of Afghans remain at the airport as they try to flee the country in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. With the August 31 deadline for the US withdrawal of forces coming near, many are trying to leave with the Americans. The US is evacuating both its personnel and some of the Afghan nationals who allied with it during the occupation in Afghanistan, including interpreters who face the risk of retribution from the Taliban.
The Taliban themselves have pledged that they would not attack Western forces during the evacuation. However, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (IS-K), a sworn enemy of the Taliban, is unlikely to honour this pledge.