An explosion went off Thursday outside Kabul’s airport, where thousands of people have flocked as they try to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Western nations had warned of a possible attack there in the waning days of a massive airlift. The Pentagon confirmed the blast, with no immediate word on casualties.
In the 11 days since the Taliban took Kabul, the US and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations in history, bringing out more than 88,000 people. The US military says planes are taking off about every 39 minutes.
Taliban fighters have been guarding the perimeter of the airport, thronged by thousands of people trying to flee a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis, reporting from Kabul, said about 1,500 US passport holders meant to be evacuated remained in the capital.
“The US and the Taliban have a deal. The Taliban are under strict instructions not to let anyone through without a passport, without a green card, without verified documents and there is confusion about what a verified document looks like,” she said.
She also said Kandahar airport has been reopened, giving hope that international flights will be possible even if Kabul airport closes down or has an interruption.
Meanwhile, there is a mounting humanitarian crisis in the country, with the World Food Programme saying about 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of about 39 million.
Here are the latest updates:
The second explosion outside airport confirmed: Pentagon
A second explosion has taken place near Kabul airport, the Pentagon spokesperson confirmed on social media.
“We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” John Kirby posted on Twitter.
The explosion reportedly a suicide bombing: AJ correspondent
The explosion outside Kabul airport was a suspected suicide bombing, Al Jazeera’s correspondent Rob Mc Bride reported from the Afghanistan capital.
“We understand it was confirmed as a suicide bombing close to one of the gates – where many of the people as people have been trying to get onto flights,” he added.
McBride said there were reports that three US soldiers had been slightly wounded in the attack.
Germany has completed military evacuations from Kabul – security source
Germany has completed its military evacuation operation from Kabul airport, a security source told Reuters news agency.
The last German military aircraft have left Kabul, the source said, without giving details.
Unclear who set off explosion: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Charlotte Belis reported from Kabul that it was still unclear at the moment who may have set the explosion off outside the airport, that has reportedly killed at least 11 people.
“One Taliban contact told me that they believe that the Americans were destroying equipment at the time. In contrast to that, we understand the ISIL threat was quite high here,” Belis said.
“That’s one of the reasons that many countries have said they have stopped their evacuations. The Americans also put out an alert with the Taliban saying today that no one can come near the airport because the ISIL threat is high; because they are looking at doing specifically car bombings in and around the airport to inflict ‘maximum damage’, as a Taliban contact told me today. Whether or not this is ISIL(ISIS) or something else, it’s still unclear.”
At least 11 killed in explosion: Taliban official
A Taliban official has told Al Jazeera that at least 11 people have been killed in the blast outside Kabul airport.
First such explosion since Taliban takeover: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Ali M Latifi reported the explosion outside Kabul airport was the first such incident since the Taliban took over.
“They [Taliban] will have to rally any forces and support they have to respond to the situation and tend to any possible casualties,” he tweeted.
It was still unclear how many casualties there were.
The UK says working urgently to establish details at Kabul airport
Britain’s defense ministry said it was working urgently to establish what had happened at Kabul airport following reports of an explosion.
“We are working urgently to establish what has happened in Kabul and its impact on the ongoing evacuation effort,” the defense ministry said on Twitter.
“Our primary concern remains the safety of our personnel, British citizens and the citizens of Afghanistan. We are in close contact with our US and other NATO allies at an operational level on the immediate response to this incident.”
Pictures of an explosion outside the airport shared on social media
Images of the explosion heard outside the airport were circulating on social media, with several user posting pictures on Twitter.
Explosion outside Kabul airport, casualties unclear: Pentagon
The US military confirmed Thursday that a large explosion occurred outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, as the US-led airlift of thousands continued inside the compound.
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” said Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby.
US and allied officials have said they had intelligence that suicide bombers were threatening to attack the airport.
Canada ends Afghanistan evacuation operations: government
Canada said it had ended its evacuation operations in Afghanistan, where foreign governments are rushing to airlift out citizens and Afghan allies after a Taliban takeover and ahead of a looming deadline.
“Over the last day, our evacuation operations have ceased,” Canadian defense ministry representative Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre told a press conference, adding that only a small team remained on the ground.
Canada was “among the last to cease evacuation operations,” he said, after other states with personnel in Afghanistan announced they were ceasing their own rescue operations before an August 31 cutoff date.
Evacuees termed Canadian Entitled Persons sit in a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) C-177 Globemaster III transport plane for their flight to Canada from Kabul, Afghanistan, August 23, 2021 [Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters]
Italy plane did not come under fire in Kabul -govt source
Afghan forces shot into the air to disperse crowds near Kabul airport on Thursday and did not fire at an Italian military transport plane, a government source said, quoting intelligence reports.
Earlier, a defense source said the C-130 transporter, carrying almost 100 Afghan civilians, had come under attack minutes after takeoff.
What will Afghanistan look like under Taliban rule (again)?
Watch an episode of The Stream here on the latest developments in Afghanistan and track the fate of Afghan refugees.
The guests include researcher Mohammad Ehsan Saadat, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Kabul Charlotte Bellis, and Camille Mackler. executive director of Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative.
About 13,400 people airlifted from Kabul: White House
A total of about 13,400 people were evacuated from Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, according to the White House.
That includes about 5,100 people evacuated on 17 US military flights and about 8,300 airlifted on 74 coalition aircraft, it said.
“Since August 14, the US has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 95,700 people. Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 101,300 people,” the statement said.
US soldiers stand in the airport as hundreds gather near an evacuation control checkpoint [Wali Sabawoon/AP]
The enormous humanitarian task will be left after evacuation: WHO
Dr. Richard Brennan, regional emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the WHO, told Al Jazeera from Cairo: “Once the evacuation is completed, we are going to be left with an enormous humanitarian need, with an enormous humanitarian task”.
“All humanitarian agencies have struggled to get aid in over the last couple of weeks. … The hard work is just beginning for the humanitarian agencies,” he said, adding that the WHO will be using Mazar-i-Sharif airport to bring aid from Pakistan, but land borders are important for delivering aid.
“All the objectives that we have for the development and humanitarian issues will depend on a strong economy as well. So maintaining the operation of the borders is going to be vital for a whole bunch of reasons such as public health, economic, social, familial, security,” he said.
Hundreds of people gather, some holding documents, near an evacuation control checkpoint [Wali Sabawoon/AP]
Toymaker Lego to donate for vulnerable Afghans
The foundation created by toymaker Lego and its parent company says it will donate 100 million kroner ($16m) to support vulnerable children in Haiti and Afghanistan.
Based in Denmark, the Lego Foundation and parent company KIRKBI A/S said that they had partnered up with, among others, two UN agencies – UNICEF and UNHCR – as well as Education, Cannot Wait, a global fund to transform the delivery of education in emergencies.
Will we talk to the Taliban? Why not, we always have: MSF
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it aims always to work with the agreement of all parties to a conflict.
Evacuated Turkish troops land in Ankara from Afghanistan
The first batch of Turkish troops evacuated from Afghanistan landed in the country’s capital on Thursday, according to the flag carrier Turkish Airlines.
The group of 345 Turkish Armed Forces personnel initially traveled from Kabul to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, via a Turkish Air Force transport plane, then proceeded to Ankara on a Turkish Airlines flight.
Two more evacuation flights are set to take off from Istanbul on Monday, depending on demand, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Qatar facilitates the evacuation of more than 40,000 people
In coordination with countries and parties on the ground, Qatar has facilitated the evacuation of more than 40,000 people safely from Kabul to Qatar, according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Most of the evacuees are transiting in Qatar, where they are hosted temporarily for a few days before departing to their onward destinations.
“As an impartial mediator, Qatar has been talking with all parties to facilitate aid and evacuation, while staying informed of the policies and actions taking place on the ground. Qatar will spare no effort in supporting the people of Afghanistan,” the statement said.
Most of the evacuees are transiting in Qatar [Courtesy of Qatar’s Government Communications Office]
France convicts Afghan days after evacuating him from Kabul
A French court has handed an Afghan man a 10-month suspended jail sentence for violating the terms of a surveillance order, days after France evacuated him from Kabul.
The man, Ahmat M, is one of five people who were placed under surveillance after their arrival in France as part of an investigation into possible Taliban links.
“This is not the case of a Taliban in France, it is the case of a man who fled his country with his wife and his three-month-old daughter” and who was arrested for “going to the supermarket”, said his lawyer Alice Ouaknine.
G20 must make sure Afghan women preserve rights: Draghi
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi says the Group of 20 major economies must be committed to making sure women keep their fundamental freedoms and basic rights in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
“The G20 must do all it can to ensure that Afghan women preserve their fundamental freedoms and basic rights, especially the right to education,” Draghi said in opening remarks at the G20 Conference on Women’s Empowerment.
An Afghan woman looks at items to buy at a shop displaying used household goods at a market in Kabul [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
Kandahar airport reopens, receives first flight
Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis, reporting from Kabul, said Kandahar airport has reopened for international flights.
“Today, the first flight arrived from Tajikistan with some Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) staff. They are the first people to receive stamps in their passports from the Islamic Emirate,” she said, referring to the name the Taliban calls Afghanistan.
“So even if Kabul airport is shut down or there is some interruption, there is a glimmer of hope that there will still be international flight possible through Kandahar airport.”
UN ready for air bridge between Islamabad and Kabul
WFP head David Beasley says the UN agency has repaired its damaged planes in Pakistan and is ready to establish a humanitarian air bridge between Islamabad and Kabul as well as other destinations in Afghanistan.
“This will allow us to scale up to meet the needs of the Afghan people,” he said in a video address posted on Twitter.
Afghan journalists begin uncertain chapter under Taliban rule
Journalists wonder if they should stay or leave after the Afghan Taliban – known for its curbs on media – sweeps to power.
Taliban fighters patrol in Kandahar [Stringer/EPA]
How an Afghan refugee crisis at sea transformed Australian policy
Twenty years ago, a Norwegian freighter rescued hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers off a sinking Indonesian vessel, triggering a crisis that ushered in Australia’s hardline immigration policies.
The US tries new ways to get people to Kabul airport
Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis, reporting from Kabul, said: “We know that about 1,500 US passport holders remain in Kabul, who are meant to be evacuated.”
“We understand that they are… are sending helicopters to try and retrieve these people and get them to the airport because of these threats.”
“They also have a new strategy we witnessed yesterday. They’re putting people on buses, essentially pre-vetting them, at different places around Kabul. They’re checking that they have all the documents they need to get through and taking those buses to streamline the process to get past the Taliban.”
“That had been working quite well yesterday but then we understand last night the Taliban started stopping some of those buses en route to the airport and checking people for documents. Some people said they didn’t get through after that.”
“The US and the Taliban have a deal. The Taliban are under strict instructions not to let anyone through without a passport, without a green card, without verified documents and there is confusion about what a verified document looks like.”
Afghanistan: the US, allies warn of ‘terror threat’ at Kabul airport
The US, Australia and the UK have urged people to move away from Kabul airport due to the threat of an attack by the ISIL (ISIS) in Khorasan Province armed group, an ISIS offshoot.
Afghans try to reach the airport after the Taliban restricts access [Akhter Gulfam/EPA]
‘I was born here, I’ll be buried here: In Afghanistan to stay
Why does one Afghan woman refuses to leave her home – even in the face of fear and uncertainty, as the Taliban resumes control.
Australia urges people to leave Kabul airport area over threat
There is a high threat of an attack near the airport in Kabul, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne says, as Canberra urged its citizens and those with a visa for Australia to evacuate the area.
Australia has been evacuating its citizens and visa holders for more than a week from Kabul airport, where Canberra had urged people to travel in order to be ready for transport.
Australia changed its advice to those in the area, which Payne said was based on heightened concerns of an attack. “There is an ongoing and very high threat of a terrorist attack,” Payne told reporters in Canberra.
Hundreds gather near an evacuation control checkpoint during evacuations at Kabul airport [AP Photo]
Baby born during evacuation named after the plane
A baby born onboard a US military flight during the evacuation from Afghanistan has been named after the plane. The US Air Force Boeing C-17 planes often use the call sign “Reach” followed by a combination of numbers.
The baby girl, born at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was named Reach, Tod Wolters, commander of US forces in Europe, told a Pentagon briefing.
“As you can well imagine, being an Air Force fighter pilot, it’s my dream to watch that young child called Reach grow up and be a US citizen and fly United States Air Force fighters in our Air Force,” Wolters said.
Hungary’s military planes leave Afghanistan
Hungary’s two military passenger planes and all its troops taking part in evacuations have left Afghanistan and returned safely to Hungary, the Hungarian defense ministry says.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary’s evacuation flights were nearing an end after it airlifted more than 500 people from Kabul.
Macron discusses Afghan crisis with Tajik president
French President Emmanuel Macron has discussed the crisis in Afghanistan with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and will host Rahmon in France on October 13, a statement from Macron’s office says.
Tajikistan will not recognize an Afghan government that is not inclusive and representative of all of its ethnic groups, Rahmon said, accusing the Taliban of failing to fulfill its promise of inclusivity.
The credible threat of imminent Kabul airport attack: UK
There is “very, very credible” intelligence that an imminent attack is being planned on those gathering at Kabul airport, British armed forces minister James Heappey says.
“The Foreign Office advice was changed last night, that people should not come to Kabul Airport, they should move to a safe place and await further instructions,” Heappey told BBC radio.
“I can only say that the threat is severe… There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice and process people anew, but there is no guarantee of that.”
