BREAKING UPDATE: First there were reports of an explosion and an ongoing gunfight at a Kabul airport gate. Reports of another explosion at the Baron Hotel have now been confirmed. Three U.S. Marines are reported injured, according to Fox News.
At least 13 people were killed, including children and Taliban guards, the Taliban said.
The Biden administration faces new pressure in Afghanistan with urgent warnings from European allies of an imminent terror attack at the Kabul airport Via Associated Press:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States says as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan amid growing warnings Thursday of terrorist threats targeting the Kabul airport as President Joe Biden’s deadline for withdrawing troops fast approaches.
[...] The airlift continued Thursday despite warnings of vehicle-borne bomb threats near the airport. The White House said 13,400 people had been evacuated in the 24 hours that ended early Thursday morning Washington time. That included 5,100 people aboard U.S. military planes and 8,300 on coalition and partner aircraft. That was a substantial drop from the 19,000 airlifted by all means the day before.
[...] As more nations began shutting down own evacuation flights and pulling out before the U.S. withdrawal, there were new European warnings about the threats. British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC that there was ”very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the airport, possibly within “hours.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the capital, issued a security alert Wednesday warning American citizens away from three specific airport gates. Senior U.S. officials said the warning was related to ongoing and specific threats involving the Islamic State and potential vehicle bombs, which have set U.S. officials on edge in the final days of the American drawdown. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations.
