- Afghans others also killed, injured in the explosion
The Pentagon says a “number of US service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport. A number of others are being treated for wounds,” without elaborating further.
“We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack,” the Pentagon says.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that “our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and injured.”
Sources said that a suicide bombing took place outside the Abbey Gate at Kabul’s airport.
The suicide attack set off a firefight at Abbey Gate, where on Wednesday night, there were 5,000 Afghans and potentially some Americans seeking access to the airport.
A second explosion happened outside the Baron Hotel, sources say.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cancelled an upcoming trip to Israel, where she was expected to join Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for a cabinet meeting on Sunday. The trip was cancelled due to “the tense situation in Afghanistan,” according to a government spokesperson.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, is set to chair an emergency security meeting with the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) after he was updated on the explosions, Reuters reported.
The Taliban’s Spokesperson joined the fray in condemning the suicide bombing. He said in a tweet: “Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where U.S. forces are responsible for security.”
“The Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan] is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people, and evil circle will be strictly stopped,” the tweet added.
For the U.S., following the attacks and the accompanying deaths, President Biden met with his national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and commanders on the ground.
A White House statement said that President Biden “will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation throughout the day. “
The Office of the Vice President also says Kamala Harris appeared by video on a 9:15 a.m. ET Situation Room meeting at the White House with President Biden. She is currently heading back to the U.S. following a diplomatic trip to Singapore and Vietnam.
A White House press briefing originally scheduled for noon ET has been delayed as changes to Biden’s schedule are being made as the events in Kabul unfold.
For Canada, one of its Generals announced Thursday that his country has ended its efforts to evacuate people out of Kabul after bringing about 3,700 people to safety.
“We stayed in Afghanistan for as long as we could. We were amongst the last to cease evacuation operations. We wish we could have stayed longer and rescued everyone who was so desperate to leave,” Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada’s acting chief of Defense Staff, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. “That we could not is truly heartbreaking, but the circumstances on the ground rapidly deteriorated.”