Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.
The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in.
The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The Taliban condemned the blasts.
In an emotional speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said the attacks would not drive the U.S. out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled and warned of consequences for those responsible.
President Joe Biden presided over a moment of silence for U.S. service members on Thursday following attacks at the Kabul airport that killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 Americans.
Biden held his moment of silence for those in uniform during somber remarks at the White House.
Suicide bombings and gunfire killed 11 Marines and one Navy medic — attacks the U.S. is blaming on the local affiliate of the Islamic State. The American service members had been carrying out screenings at the gates of the airport, where thousands of Afghans have crowded in for nearly two weeks in hopes of an evacuation.
“These American service members who gave their lives — it’s an overused word, but it’s totally appropriate here — were heroes,” Biden said.
Story compiled from Associated Press reports.
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