Afghanistan: what we know about the “complex” attack at Kabul airport – LCI

An attack described as “complexKabul struck Thursday at the end of the day, a few hours after warning messages from the American authorities who feared an attack. Many victims are to be deplored, including American soldiers.

A first explosion would have occurred near the Abbey gate – one of the main accesses to the airport, according to a US military source. The information was confirmed by several sources on the ground, including the French ambassador in Afghanistan. Some sources mention a suicide bombing in a pipeline located under the site where Afghans register to be able to leave the country.

“To our relatives: no French soldier, policeman or diplomat had been hired today at Abbey Gate”, David Martinon said on Twitter. In the process, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the ambassador will soon be repatriated, “taking into account security issues”, to operate from Paris within a few days.

A second explosion took place, probably at the level of the Baron hotel, where the British delegation in Afghanistan is located, not far from the same access door to the airport compound. At least five people were killed in the double attack, according to an AFP photographer on the spot. D‘after an initial assessment communicated by a Taliban spokesperson, there are 13 to 20 dead and 52 injured. Several US soldiers were killed or injured, the Pentagon also said.

The Taliban condemned the attack while returning the responsibility for the surveillance of the airport to the Americans. “The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombings targeting civilians at the airport”, Zabihullah Mujahid posted on Twitter. “The explosion took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security.”

Overnight, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom simultaneously issued very specific and almost identical warnings of threats to “terrorist attack“in the airport area, as the deadline for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan approaches, August 31.

The people “currently at the Abbey, East and North entrances should leave immediately“Washington said, citing”security threats “, after President Joe Biden had already mentioned Tuesday the possibility of an attack by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), rival of the Taliban in Afghanistan in recent years.

Despite the very volatile situation, France still hopes to evacuate “several hundred” people from Afghanistan, said Emmanuel Macron, adding that Paris was doing everything to get there, but without guarantee due to the security situation “extremely tense” at Kabul airport. For twelve days, and the capture of Kabul by the Taliban, thousands of Afghans have gone to the airport in the hope of escaping the new masters of the country. A gigantic airlift has been in place since August 14, to evacuate Western nationals as well as their Afghan allies that the arrival of the Taliban puts the most in danger.