At Least 3 Marines Wounded In A Blast Outside Kabul’s Airport
Evacuations continue from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Reports of explosions outside the airport were confirmed the following morning. Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption
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Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Evacuations continue from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Reports of explosions outside the airport were confirmed the following morning.
Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An explosion, with reports of ongoing gunfire, has been reported outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Details are scarce. Here’s what we know at this point.Update 10:42 a.m.:
According to a U.S. official, three U.S. Marines were wounded in the explosion at the airport gate. A dozen or more others are likely wounded, but their nationalities are unclear.
Update 10:35 a.m. ET:
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul says the blast took place at the “Abbey Gate” of the airport. It’s one of the entrances to the airport that the embassy had specifically asked U.S. citizens to avoid due to a heightened fears of an attack.
The embassy statement says there are reports of ongoing gunfire. It adds that U.S. citizens “should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time.”
The embassy’s latest security alert is here.
Original story:
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed reports of an explosion outside of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday.
“Casualties are unclear at this time,” he wrote in a tweet. “We will provide additional details when we can.”
We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
The White House, State Department, Pentagon and U.S. Embassy in Kabul have all been warning of heightened threat from ISIS-K militants in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to the ongoing evacuation effort there.
In a security alert on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul urged Americans outside the gates of the airport to leave the area immediately, citing security threats. Officials also cautioned U.S. citizens against travel to the airport.
This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/26/1031244804/kabul-airport-explosion-afghanistan
