Twelve U.S. service members were killed Thursday at the Kabul airport after a bombing and gun attack from the terrorist organization ISIS-K, the Pentagon said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The Associated Press reported those killed included 11 Marines and one Navy corpsman.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said 15 additional U.S. service members were injured and a “number of Afghan civilians” were also killed or injured.
McKenzie said the bombing on the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport was followed by “a number of ISIS-gunmen” opening fire on civilians and military forces. He said a second bombing later occurred at the nearby Baron Hotel outside the airport but could not say whether it was a suicide bomb.
A pair of explosions rocked the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as the U.S. worked to rapidly evacuate American and Afghan civilians before the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The explosions came after repeated warnings from President Joe Biden about the threat of ISIS-K terrorist attacks as the withdrawal deadline drew nearer. Biden has yet to address the attacks.
“We thought this would happen sooner or later,” McKenzie said. “It’s tragic that it happened today.”
— Joey Garrison
Biden to address U.S. following Kabul attacks
President Joe Biden will address the nation following two deadly attacks outside Kabul's airport Thursday that left 12 U.S. service members dead and a number of others injured.
The remarks, set for 5 p.m. E.T., will be the president's first appearance since the attacks unfolded. Biden's schedule, which included a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and a virtual meeting with governors, was cleared as he and his national security team met to follow developments in Afghanistan.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki will take questions from reporters in a press briefing following the president's remarks.
— Courtney Subramanian
U.S. in contact with 1,000 Americans still in Afghanistan after evacuating 500 more
The U.S. is in contact with 1,000 Americans who remain in Afghanistan and have heard from 500 additional people “purporting to be Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave,” according to a State Department official.
The number of remaining Americans is down from 1,500 who were there as of Wednesday night Eastern time. The State Department said 500 were evacuated in the past 24 hours. The official said the vast majority – perhaps two-thirds – of the remaining 1,000 American citizens said they were taking steps to leave.
"We believe many, if not most, of these individuals are nearly or already out of the country."
U.S. officials believe many of the additional 500 people who claimed to be American citizens are not.
“We immediately began attempting to reach these individuals by phone, text, and email. Based on our experience, many of these will not turn out to be U.S. citizens in need of our assistance,” the official said.
The Pentagon said it is continuing its missions to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan even after a pair of bombings and gun attack killed at least 12 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport Thursday.
— Joey Garrison
Pentagon: U.S. expects attacks to continue and 'prepared to take action'
The threat from ISIS-K is "extremely real" and officials have been telegraphing warnings of attacks for several days, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central command, told reporters Thursday.
He said threat streams are "imminent" and range from rocket attacks to vehicle-borne suicide attacks. U.S. officials are working with the Taliban, who are providing outer security outside the airport compound, to monitor possible attacks.
"We believe that is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue, and we're doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks," McKenzie said.
McKenzie also said the U.S. is prepared to take action over the deaths of U.S. service members but officials are still working to determine who's behind the attack.
"If we can find who's associated with this, we will go after them," he said. "We've been clear all along that we're going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan, and we are working very hard right now to determine attribution."
— Courtney Subramanian
Official: Suicide bomber was being checked by service members
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. said he believes the suicide bomber at the Kabul airport Thursday was being searched and checked by U.S. service members at the airport’s Abbey gate when he detonated the bomb.
“I know this, he did not get inside,” McKenzie said.
— Joey Garrison
Taliban thwarted attacks on U.S. service members, officials said
McKenzie, during his briefing, alluded to a variety of imminent threats of concern to the U.S. presence at the Kabul airport, including intelligence indicating that a vehicle-borne IED – a truck bomb – could be imminent. It was also one of the threats that the U.S. military was working closely with the Taliban on, to help prevent future attacks.
McKenzie described “very, very real threat streams” that suggested an attack could occur at any moment. He said the airbase had good defenses against suspected rocket attacks that ISIS-K might be planning. ‘We also know they aim to get a suicide or vehicle-borne suicide attack in if they can, from a small vehicle to a large vehicle,” McKenzie said. “They're working all those options.”
Some potential attacks on United States service members were thwarted, based on information provided by the U.S, by the Taliban, he said.
“So in terms of practical things that we're doing, okay, again, we've reached out to the Taliban, we've told them, ‘You need to continue to push out the security parameter,’ “ McKenzie said. “We've identified some roads that we would like for them to close, they've identified that they will be willing to close those roads.”
“As we assess the threat of a suicide borne vehicle threat, it's high right now. So we want to reduce the possibility of one of those vehicles getting close,” McKenzie added. So, with the Taliban’s help, “we're actually moving very aggressively to do that.”
Although the U.S. does not give the Taliban a full range of information, they are given “enough to act and time and space to try to prevent these attacks,” McKenzie said.
— Rebecca Morin and Josh Meyer
Evacuations at Kabul airport continue
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central command, said evacuations would continue as the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan by Aug. 31. He said about 1,000 American citizens remain in Afghanistan at this point.
"Despite this attack, we're continuing the mission, the evacuation of this state,” he said. “While we’re saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we’re continuing to execute the mission.”
— Joey Garrison and Tom Vandenbrook
Taliban ‘strongly condemns’ bombing, says US was responsible for security
The Taliban government in Afghanistan said it “strongly condemns” the bombing outside the Kabul airport and said the attack occurred in an area where the U.S. is responsible for security.
The attack was believed to have been orchestrated by the ISIS-K terrorist network, an enemy of the Taliban.
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security,” Shaheen said in a tweet. “The Islamic Emirate is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people, and evil circles will be strictly stopped."
The Pentagon confirmed the attack resulted in “a number of U.S. and civilian casualties.”
— Joey Garrison
Germany has ended evacuation mission in Afghanistan
BERLIN — The German defense minister says her country has ended its evacuation mission in Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the last of the German military aircraft and troops arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday evening. She said that, in all, Germany evacuated 5,347 people from at least 45 nations, including more than 4,000 Afghans.
Germany hadn’t publicly specified ahead of time when exactly its flights would end but other European nations also have been wrapping up their evacuation efforts ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Kramp-Karrenbauer said the last flights had been loading at the time of Thursday’s attacks just outside the airport and the German commander then set in motion plans for an “emergency departure.”
She added that “the attacks we saw this afternoon … have made clear that an extension of the operation in Kabul was not possible. The security situation on the ground, and also the Taliban’s decision not to tolerate an extension beyond Aug. 31, made it impossible.”
— Associated Press
Biden's Israeli PM meeting delayed a day after Kabul attack
President Joe Biden's first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House was postponed until Friday following a pair of deadly explosions outside Kabul's airport that killed an unspecified number of U.S. service members.
The president's meeting with Bennett, who took office in June, was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon before it was delayed as Biden met with his national security team in the Situation Room on developments in Afghanistan. Among those who attended included Secretary Antony Blinken, Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and commanders on the ground, according to the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is traveling from Southeast Asia, also attended the meeting, according to her office.
The president's virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of governors who offered to temporarily house or help resettle Afghans has also been canceled, according to the White House.
— Courtney Subramanian
Intelligence official: U.S. operating under assumption that attacks were ISIS-K
U.S. intelligence officials had no comment Thursday on what kinds of specific information they obtained that led to the urgent warnings for U.S. citizens to evacuate the airport before the attacks. But one senior staffer on the Senate Intelligence committee told USA TODAY that the threat stream flowing into the CIA and other intelligence agencies "was pretty much flashing red for 3 days."
U.S. intelligence officials are operating under the assumption that the attacks at Kabul airport Thursday were carried out by ISIS-K, given their motive and general threat intelligence received in recent weeks and days.
A senior U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the intelligence community has made no specific or formal attribution that the attacks were ISIS-K, noting "it's certainly something that they would gain a lot from from doing."
“This is a perfect opportunity for them to stick it to the Taliban, stick it to us and gain a national stage to show that they're there, as terrorist groups will want to do,” the official noted.
The official also said he could not discuss the particulars of the intelligence that led the Biden administration to urge Americans to evacuate the airport, but said those warnings from the State Department and White House were prompted by recently gathered information provided by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
— Josh Meyer
Hospital in Kabul reports 30 wounded people in treatment; six dead upon arrival
An emergency hospital in Kabul says 30 people wounded in two explosions near Kabul’s international airport arrived for treatment on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal and TOLO News, an Afghan broadcaster.
Of those taken by the hospital, six were dead on arrival. The Pentagon earlier confirmed “a number of U.S. and civilian casualties” as a result of the two explosions.
— Matthew Brown
More:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
Pentagon confirms 'unknown number of casualties' after Kabul airport explosion
Pentagon press Secretary John Kirby confirmed there was “an unknown number of casualties” resulting from an explosion at the Abbey Gate of Kabul’s international airport Thursday.
All gates at Hamid Karzai International Airport have since been shut down, according to a Department of Defense official.
— Matthew Brown and Tom Vandenbrook
Defense officials have been alarmed by threats from ISIS-K group
Defense officials have been alarmed in recent days by threats at Hamid Karzai International Airport by ISIS-K, terrorists who are sworn enemies of the Taliban. One official deemed the threat from a suicide bomber from ISIS-K to be the chief concern for Afghans and U.S. citizens crowding the gates to the airport, and U.S. troops guarding it.
ISIS-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State terrorists who established a sprawling caliphate in Iraq and Syria that was eventually destroyed by a U.S.-led bombing campaign. The K stands for Khorasan, the group's offshoot in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have mounted savage attacks in Kabul, targeting a girls' school and maternity hospital.
— Tom Vandenbrook
Embassy warns U.S. citizens to avoid Kabul airport after explosion
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul is warning U.S. citizens to avoid Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul after a large explosion and reports of gunfire.
The embassy issued an alert on Thursday morning telling U.S. citizens who are at the airport’s three gates to leave immediately. Those that aren’t there should avoid traveling to the airport, according to the alert.
— Rick Rouan
Explosion leaves chaotic, bloody scene outside airport in Kabul
The explosion outside the gates of Kabul’s international airport Thursday, where U.S. and allied force evacuations are taking place, left a chaotic and bloody scene, according to reports on the ground.
1TV, an Afghan news station, published photos of the immediate aftermath of the blast showing people fleeing the scene.
Images from reporters inside the airport showed a large dust cloud envelope the side of the airport as an explosion scattered crowds of people.
— Matthew Brown
President Biden briefed on explosion outside Kabul airport
President Joe Biden has been briefed on Thursday’s explosion outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the White House confirmed.
Details are still emerging about the explosion, which the Pentagon announced Thursday morning amid warnings about the threat of an ISIS-K terrorist attack at the airport.
— Joey Garrison
Explosion reported outside Kabul airport
An explosion was reported on the outskirts of Hamid Karzai International Airport Thursday after reports of gunfire.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed that there was an explosion at the airport. The number of casualties was unconfirmed in the immediate aftermath.
The Pentagon did not say who was behind the explosion, but it comes after the State Department on Wednesday night alerted Americans at gates of the chaotic Kabul airport to "leave immediately."
The Biden administration has increasingly warned about the threat of an ISIS-K terrorist attack at the Kabul airport as the Aug. 31 U.S. deadline to withdraw draws near.
— Matthew Brown and Joey Garrison
Allied nations wind down evacuations ahead of U.S. withdrawal
Allied nations who are evacuating refugees and their own citizens out of the international airport in Kabul are warning that they won’t be able to continue operations as U.S. military forces begin their final drawdown from the country.
Canada, which evacuated around 3,700 people, has ended military flights from Kabul, according to the Associated Press. Italy, the Netherlands and Poland will all conduct their final evacuation flights Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported. French officials have said they will no longer be able to operate out of the country after Friday, the newspaper reported. The United Kingdom’s defense minister, Ben Wallace, said Thursday the U.K. military has 11 flights scheduled to leave Kabul today but declined to say if those would be the country’s last, per the Guardian.
A spokesperson for the European Union foreign affairs commission said the bloc “will be on the ground as long as necessary in order to complete the evacuation operations.”
Close U.S. allies, including the leaders of influential G7 nations like Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, pressed President Joe Biden to delay the date for U.S. troop withdrawal. While each country operating evacuations at the Kabul airport haves some military presence, the 6,000 American troops on the ground currently make up the bulk of allied defense and operations.
The withdrawal comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning late Wednesday night that Americans should avoid traveling to the airport unless directly contacted by a U.S. official, citing a heightened terror threat. Australia and the U.K. have also issued warnings of a “high threat” of a terrorist attack on the airport, according to The Washington Post.
— Matthew Brown
Afghan evacuees face challenges of life in a new country
WASHINGTON – Thousands of Afghans who helped aid the U.S. military or are vulnerable in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are arriving in the United States, where they are staying in military bases, at convention centers and even some community colleges as they await their next move.
But as they prepare to rebuild their lives in a foreign country, Afghans face a two-pronged issue: Trying to get out of their native country safely and then completely restarting their lives in a new home where they likely have few personal connections.
The process to get Afghan nationals out of the country has been riddled with setbacks and issues for many, from unfinished applicant paperwork to the Taliban blocking vulnerable Afghans from getting to the Kabul airport. Once they arrive in the U.S., nonprofit groups and non-governmental organizations are working feverishly to get Afghans placed in a community so they could rebuild their life.
'Infuriating':Florida veteran is still working to bring Afghan translator home to the U.S.
The Biden administration has an Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate U.S. citizens and others who qualify for U.S. protection, which President Joe Biden said the United States is on track to meet. Since Aug. 14, the United States has evacuated or helped facilitate the evacuation of nearly 90,000 people from Afghanistan.
— Rebecca Morin
Read more here:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
Kabul evacuations continue as pullout deadline looms
About 13,400 people were evacuated out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Wednesday, according to the White House, down from the 19,000 people shuttled out of the country the day before.
The U.S. military ushered 5,100 people out on 17 flights while coalition allies used 74 flights to ferry 8,300 people out of the country.
The total number of evacuated people from Afghanistan since Afghanistan’s capitol city fell to the Taliban is now 95,700. The largest airlift in history was during the fall of Saigon, when 131,000 people were evacuated.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon are currently breaking down the number of Americans, third party nationals or Afghans within the number of evacuated people.
The dip in the day-over-day number of people evacuated comes as the U.S. faces a looming deadline to fully withdraw U.S. troops from the country by Aug. 31. President Joe Biden determined that U.S. troops would withdraw from the country by that date in the spring, a commitment that the Taliban has now set as a red line.
More:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there were still approximately 1,500 possible American citizens in Afghanistan. The State Department is in contact with 500 of those Americans and is “aggressively” attempting to reach the others, Blinken added.
While both Biden and Blinken have said the U.S. is “on track to complete our mission” in Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 pullout deadline, Blinken stressed Tuesday that there was “no deadline” for getting Americans out of the country.
"Let me be crystal clear about this,” Blinken said during a press briefing. “There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so. That effort will continue every day past Aug. 31.”
The State Department and Pentagon say that the Taliban is currently providing safe passage to Americans en route to the Kabul airport. Yet reports on the ground of violence and chaos at the airport persist while Taliban fighters continue to harass and stop Afghans attempting to flee the country.
— Matthew Brown
Few leave after warning of attack on Kabul airport
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Britain said an attack could come within hours.
Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, where Belgium said there was a threat of a suicide bombing. But with just days left before the evacuation effort ends and American troops withdraw, few appeared to heed the call.
Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight landed to pull out those who fear a return to the militants’ brutal rule.
Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, likely signaling the beginning of the end of one of history’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have so far honored a pledge not to attack Western forces during the evacuation, but insist the foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31.
But overnight, new warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s freeing of prisoners during their blitz across the country.
—Associated Press
