The twin blasts claimed by ISIS-K have killed 90 people, 13 U.S. troops and wounded 150 people outside Kabul Airport
The Europe, United Kingdom (U.K.) and the United States (U.S.) have condemned the twin blasts at Kabul Airport on Thursday, August 26, 2021, that killed more than 90 people and 13 U.S. troops, leaving 150 people wounded.
The suicide attack was carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), an off-shoot of ISIL. The ISIL-K is a sworn enemy of Taliban and they have a history of fighting one another.
The first blast occurred at 6:00 p.m. local time near the Abbey Gate, where U.S. and British forces have been checking people entering the airport. The second blast occurred at a hotel which was used by British officials to process Afghans hoping to travel to the U.K.
Prior to this, U.K., Australia and U.S had issued an alert on a possible suicide attack outside the Kabul Airport. Thousands of people had gathered at Kabul Airport for fleeing to another nations, after Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021.
Taking it to twitter, the President of European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen tweeted,
I strongly condemn the cowardly and inhuman attacks on Kabul airport. It is essential to do everything to ensure the safety of people at the airport.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 26, 2021
The international community must work closely together to avoid a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and beyond.
The President of U.S. – Joe Biden has also said that to hunt down the militants behind the attack. He has warned them of the consequences.
Offering his condolences to U.S. troops, Biden tweeted,
The American service members who gave their lives were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others. We have a continuing obligation — a sacred obligation — to their families that will last forever.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 26, 2021
He further tweeted,
Despite extraordinary dangers and risks, we were able to evacuate more than 100,000 people in just a matter of days. We can — and we must — complete our mission.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 27, 2021
We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.
The Prime Minister of U.K. – Boris Johnson tweeted,
I utterly condemn the barbaric terrorist attack in Kabul in which Afghans and members of the US military lost their lives.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 26, 2021
The threat of terrorist attack is one of the constraints we’ve been operating under, but our evacuation effort continues with over 12,000 extracted so far. pic.twitter.com/DXCFPj9KQC
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence, U.K. has said that it has entered the final stage of evacuation and it no more people will be called to Airport to leave the country. The processing facilities at the Baron Hotel, outside the airport in Kabul, has been closed. This means around 800 to 1,100 eligible Afghans and 100 to 150 British nationals people would still be left behind
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary of State for Defence, U.K. – Ben Wallace said, “It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process.”
U.K. has also cleared that U.K.’s withdrawal is not hastened by the attack. As of now, 13, 708 people have been evacuated by the U.K. under the operation, “Pitting” since August 13, 2021. Around 8-9 flights would come into Kabul to evacuate around 1,000 people who remained inside the airfield.
While the evacuation operation from the airport is coming to an end, the U.K.’s Afghan relocation scheme would remain open indefinitely. In case the eligible people are able to get to other countries, the U.K. could plan their evacuation from there.
