The death toll from the terror attack near Kabul’s airport has risen to at least 170, according to Afghanistan’s health ministry, APA reports citing CBS.
Earlier reports put the number of casualties at 110.
According to a tweet of the CBS correspondent in Afghanistan, at least 200 people were wounded.
*** 01:10
More than 100 people were killed, including at least 12 U.S. service members and 90 Afghans, at the Kabul airport Thursday when two blasts ripped through crowds trying to enter the American-controlled facility, disrupting the final push of the U.S.-led evacuation effort, APA reports citing WSJ.
A suicide bomb attack at the airport’s Abbey Gate was followed by an assault by gunmen, officials said. Another bomb attack took place nearby, at a hotel outside the airport, officials said. Fifteen U.S. service members were injured, the Pentagon said.
The attack marked the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since 2011, and came just five days before the Biden administration’s deadline for the complete military withdrawal from the country. The military expects more attacks, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters.
President Biden on Thursday evening said he was heartbroken by the violence and vowed to retaliate for the attacks, while promising to continue evacuation efforts.
“We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Mr. Biden said in remarks at the White House. He said he had instructed his national security advisers to develop response plans to the attack.
***
More than 80 people have been killed in the twin explosions outside Kabul airport, officials at the Emergency Hospital told TRT World, APA reports.
The death toll can rise as many of the injured were taken to other hospitals in the city.
The US military confirmed that 12 Americans soldiers have also been killed in the attack.
US Pentagon spokesperson Kirby said the explosion took place near Kabul airport's Abbey gate, where thousands of people have flocked as they try to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water.
Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.
A second US official said the complex attack was believed to have been carried out by Daesh terrorist group.
Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what's known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.
The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.
***22:34
At least 60 people were killed and 140 others wounded in the explosions at Kabul airport, a senior health official has told the BBC, APA reports.
***20:55
More than 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in explosions near the Kabul airport, a source in the Afghan Ministry of Health told RIA Novosti, APA reports.
According to the source, the bodies of the dead and injured were taken to hospitals, including women and children.
Two explosions occurred on Thursday near the Kabul airport, one of them near the Baron Hotel, where, according to media reports, foreigners, including British and US citizens, gathered. It is reported that the first explosion was made by a suicide bomber, then a car bomb exploded.
***20:22
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, APA reports citing Al Jazeera.
Western nations had warned of a possible attack there in the waning days of a massive airlift. The Pentagon confirmed the blast, with the Taliban saying at least 13 people have been killed.
Taliban said 52 people injured in two blasts outside Kabul airport.
***18:32
At least two explosions rocked areas near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday.
The first explosion, which took place near the airport's eastern gate was attributed to a suicide bomber, and local media say a firefight took place involving unknown militants and US-led coalition forces tasked with guarding the airport amid the continued evacuation of troops, diplomats and civilians.
A second explosion hit near a hotel situated near the airport and used by British and US forces. Reporters citing unnamed State Department officials said that 'four or more' US troops have been wounded.
Separately, a Taliban official has said that up to 13 people had been killed, including children. Over a dozen injuries have also been reported.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has confirmed via Twitter that an explosion took place, and said the attacks caused "an unknown number of casualties"
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