Worthy Christian News > World News > Islamic State Involved In Kabul Airport Suicide Attacks; 15 Killed

Islamic State Involved In Kabul Airport Suicide Attacks; 15 Killed

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Islamic State group was involved in twin suicide bombings targeting crowds outside Kabul’s airport, killing more than a dozen people, U.S. and Russian officials said Thursday.

Multiple U.S. troops and civilians were also injured when the two explosions shook the area near Hamid Karzai International Airport, where the United States and NATO allies had been evacuating thousands of people from the capital, the Pentagon confirmed.

“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian casualties,” announced Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby.

He referred to the entrance to the airport, where U.S. personnel until recently welcomed American citizens to board evacuation flights, several sources said.

Kirby also confirmed a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, roughly 300 meters (900 feet) from the site of the first detonation. British troops had reportedly been using the hotel as a base for evacuating British personnel.

Footage obtained by Worthy News showed victims scattered across the area, suggesting a massive explosion had occurred. Russia’s Foreign Ministry gave the first official casualty count, saying 13 people had died and 15 were wounded, but other sources said the death toll was at least 15 people.

A Taliban spokesperson said children were among those killed, with Taliban guards among the wounded. One emergency hospital in Kabul reportedly received 30 injured, with six dying on the way to the hospital.

Western nations had warned earlier in the day of a possible attack at the airport in the waning days of a massive airlift.

Thursday’s attack came amid mounting evidence that thousands of Americans may not be able to evacuate before the August 31 deadline.

That could turn into the biggest hostage crisis since the 1979 storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, despite U.S. President Joe Biden’s claims he is in control of the situation. As many as 250,000 Afghans are also facing life danger. Among them are many supporters of the U.S.-led coalition as well as Afghan Christians.

Christian aid workers told Worthy News Thursday that many are fleeing across the mountains to safe countries.

However, “I will wait until the airport is closed,” said a man who identified himself only as Hamid, adding he was a manager in a state ministry until 11 days ago when the Taliban rolled into Kabul.

“They will give our jobs to their relatives. How will I support my family?” he said, accompanied by his wife, aging father-in-law, and two young children.

Heappey said a group known as Isis-K (Islamic State Khorasan province) was aware of the limited window of time left. They want to strike with what they regard as a “spectacular” attack that the west would view as “abhorrent,” he added.

Reacting to the news, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, visiting Ireland, said the security situation had profoundly deteriorated, and the French ambassador would not remain.

“We are facing an extremely tense situation,” Macron told a joint news conference with the Irish prime minister Micheál Martin.

James Heappey, Britain’s armed forces minister, had earlier said Afghans trying to flee for Britain should not head to the airport owing to the “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack.”

Several countries said they were ending their involvement in the airlift on Thursday, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Hungary.