More Than 100 People, Including at Least 13 U.S. Service Members Killed in Kabul Airport Attack
Afghanistan: More than 100 people were killed, including at least 13 U.S. service members and 90 Afghans, at the Kabul airport Thursday when two blasts ripped through crowds trying to enter the American-controlled facility, disrupting the final push of the U.S.-led evacuation effort.
A suicide bomb attack at the airport’s Abbey Gate was followed by an assault by gunmen, officials said. Another bomb attack took place nearby, at a hotel outside the airport, officials said. Eighteen U.S. service members were injured, the Pentagon said.
The attack marked the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since 2011, and came just five days before the Biden administration’s deadline for the complete military withdrawal from the country. The military expects more attacks, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters.
Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport. Islamic State said one of its suicide bombers targeted “translators and collaborators with the American army”. U.S. officials also blamed the group.
(With Inputs From Agencies)