Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

"Specific, Credible Threats" Remain Against Kabul Airport Operations: US

"Specific, Credible Threats" Remain Against Kabul Airport Operations: US

The blast claimed by Islamic State targeted US forces, but hit hardest people who had reached the airport in a desperate bid to leave the country.

There remain "credible threats" against the major airlift operation at Kabul airport, the Pentagon said today, a day after a suicide attack on a crowd trying to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan killed at least 85 people, including 13 US servicemen.

The blast claimed by the Islamic State terror group targeted US forces, but hit hardest the mass of people fearing life under the Taliban who converged on the airport in a desperate bid to board a flight out.

At least 72 people were killed, including the 13 American troops, according to various authorities, in an attack that came after a chorus of warnings from foreign governments of an imminent threat.

"We still believe there are credible threats... specific, credible threats," said US military spokesman John Kirby today.

There are more than 5,000 people inside the airport left to evacuate, a US General said, stressing that airlifts would continue "until the last moment".

Determined to end two decades of war in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has insisted that he would stick to his August 31 deadline to end the airlift.

Mr Biden, under enormous pressure over his administration's handling of the Afghan crisis, vowed to punish those responsible for the blast.

"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," he said.

The Pentagon also clarified that there was one explosion, and not two as it previously reported.

About 105,000 people have been flown out of the country since August 14, the day before the Taliban swept to power, according to the White House.

Some Western allies, including Britain and Spain, announced an end to their airlifts on Friday, following other nations such as Canada and Australia earlier in the week.

Many have repeatedly warned that it will be impossible to get all at-risk Afghans out by Tuesday.

Refugee exodus


The Taliban have promised a softer brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, which ended in 2001 when the United States hit back following the September 11 attacks.

But many Afghans fear a repeat of their brutal interpretation of Islamic law, as well as violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions or the previous US-backed government.

Today morning, some evacuation flights resumed, with queues of people seen lining up on the tarmac but there were no more crowds near the sites of the blast, according to AFP reporters.

The Taliban had also blocked off the main routes to the airport as well as side roads.

The United Nations said today it was bracing for a "worst-case scenario" of up to half a million more refugees from Afghanistan by the end of 2021.

The Taliban has said that Afghans with legal documents will be allowed to travel abroad after the airport reopens to commercial flights.

'More extreme'


The Taliban have allowed US-led forces to conduct the airlift while they finalise plans for their government to be announced as soon as the American troops have left.

But the Islamic State terrorists, rivals of the Taliban with a record of barbaric attacks, were intent on capitalising on the chaos in Kabul.

In recent years, the Islamic State's Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in those countries.

It has massacred civilians at mosques, shrines, public squares and even hospitals.

"These are people that are even more extreme than the Taliban and are basically at war with the Taliban. So it is a horribly complex situation," Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that Ankara was assessing an offer to run operations at the Kabul airport, with security to be provided by the Taliban.

Terror, devastation


The blast hit people trying to reach access gates at the airport, creating scenes of terror and devastation.

Immediately after the first, one man held a semi-conscious victim by the elbow, trying to stop his head from slipping beneath the surface of the fetid water in a canal along the perimeter of the airport.

"I will never, ever want to go (to the airport) again. Death to America, its evacuation and visas," Milad, who was near the first blast with his wife and three children, told AFP.

The Italian NGO Emergency said the hospital it operates in Kabul had been overwhelmed by more than 60 casualties, 16 of whom were pronounced dead on arrival.

The injured "could not speak, many were terrified, their eyes totally lost in emptiness, their gaze blank", the hospital's medical coordinator Alberto Zanin said in a post on the group's Twitter account.

'Bear responsibility'


The attacks led to the worst single-day death count for the US military in Afghanistan since 2011.

A clearly shaken Mr Biden went before TV cameras to address the American people, describing the killed US troops as heroes.

Asked by a reporter if he bore any responsibility for the deaths, he said: "I bear responsibility fundamentally for all that's happened of late."

The Taliban, which condemned the blast, emphasised that it took place in an area under US military control.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×