© Associated Press
– The photo is from the morning near one of the entrances to the airport
Two explosions shook the area in front of Kabul airport. The first confirm The Pentagon, after local media and Reuters reported, as well as the correspondent of the Qatari television “Al Jazeera”.
A second confirmation of an explosion near a hotel used to process the requests of Afghans and Europeans who wanted to leave later came from Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
This is the first attack since the Taliban took control of almost all of Afghanistan. US officials have linked the incident to Islamic State, but there is no confirmation yet. British and Turkish Guardian military sources say they also suspect the involvement of Islamic State, which declared the Taliban in power a few days ago.
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It is known that there are wounded American soldiers. Correspondents in the field reported that in the area of the northern entrance where one of the explosions took place and which was used for evacuation, there was increased traffic and crowds. According to Politico, NATO countries are withdrawing their troops from the entrances to the airport.
The missions of a number of Western countries have already warned their citizens during the day to move away from the airport. The situation may soon become such that we cannot control it, said French President Emmanuel Macron nearly an hour after the explosion. According to the Pentagon, a “complex” attack was carried out.
According to Reuters, there are at least 13 people killed in the attack on the northern entrance to the airport, a version with a car bomb appeared in the information of “Al Jazeera”. Shots from an obscure source are heard on television.
And according to American media, the attack was probably suicidal, and the victims are Afghans.
The only hospital near the airport has at least 60 injured.
There are thousands of people at and around Kabul airport as Western, Afghan and other citizens are being evacuated before the withdrawal of the United States and its allies on August 31, days after the Taliban took control of the country and returned to power.
Earlier today, Britain, the United States and Australia warned of a “very high probability” of a terrorist attack. The causes of the explosion have not yet been officially confirmed.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden also spoke about the risk, linking it to the Islamic State branch, which has a strong presence in Afghanistan (this was a key argument for not delaying the withdrawal despite calls from Britain, France and Germany). It remains to be seen whether the explosion was her work.
Currently, the security of the airport outside is in the hands of the Taliban, who deter most Afghans and allow an unknown proportion of those with regular travel documents – this includes a passport, green card and others, although it is not known how to verify their authenticity.
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The United States and Britain have already warned that in the chaos of thousands crowded at and around Hamid Karzai Airport, security breaches are not impossible.
Details coming later at www.dnevnik.bg.
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