Western governments, including the US and UK have repeatedly warned of an imminent and ongoing possibility of a terrorist attack at the airport.
The US ambassador in Kabul has told staff there that as many as four U.S. Marines were killed in an explosion outside the city’s airport.
The Pentagon has confirmed that “a number” of American military personnel were killed in today’s “complex attack.”
Lewis Goodall(@lewis_goodall)
NEW: Pentagon confirms that “a number” of American military personnel were killed in today’s “complex attack.” They call it “heinous.” pic.twitter.com/rpq2l7onLU
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just spoken to the media in London after chairing a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, Cobra.
He condemns the attack and says those responsible were “despicable”.
He pays tribute to the members of the US military who were killed.
“We extend our condolences both to the United States of America and the people of Afghanistan.
He says the British will continue with the evacuation. It was near its end anyway, he says. He says the majority of Afghans due to be evacuated have already been evacuated.
Q: Has today’s attack made any difference to the timing? Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said today that there were still 1,500 Afghans waiting to be flown to the UK.
Johnson says he has just chaired Cobra, and they concluded that the evacuation effort would continue.
He says they are gong to “keep going up until the last moment”.
But he says the government will continue to expect the Taliban to carry on letting people leave. It will use what means it has to encourage this.
Q: You encouraged Afghans to be at the airport. They were almost sitting ducks? By continuing, aren’t you putting more of them at risk?
Johnson says the military have been preparing for the evacuation for months.
He says they always knew that this was a moment where there would be “particular vulnerabilities to terrorism, to opportunistic terrorist attacks”.
This was something they prepared for, he says.
The government will carry on. The UK has evacuated the equivalent of a largish town, like Dorking, he says.
Q: What did you make of the Taliban’s statement condemning the attack. (See 5.34pm)
Johnson says there were almost certainly members of the Taliban who were killed. So it shows the difficulty any government will have in running Afghanistan, he says.
He says the government wants to move to the second phase, where the UK and others will engage with the Taliban, to try to get a process going that will lead to an inclusive administration.
Two suicide bombs exploded near the main entrances to Kabul’s international airport on Thursday, reportedly killing at least 13 people, including children, and wounding dozens.
Footage filmed after the blast shows what appears to be smoke rising from Hamid Karzai international airport and an eyewitness said “people were hurled everywhere” in the explosions.
One blast happened near the Abbey gate entrance and the second near the Baron hotel, a spot where Afghan refugees have been processed to take flights out of the country
‘People were hurled everywhere’: witness describes Kabul airport blasts – video
This is from the Wall Street Journal’s Germany correspondent, Bojan Pancevski
Bojan Pancevski(@bopanc)
A German medevac airforce jet is rescuing US troops wounded in the Kabul airport blast. The German airforce had the ambulance plane circling above the airport in case of emergency – and it really paid off for the people now treated in this top of the range flying ICU clinic https://t.co/AG8vdEiSf6
The UK’s evacuation effort in Afghanistan will continue despite the “barbaric” terrorist attack at Kabul airport, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has said.
PA Media(@PA)
#Breaking The UK’s evacuation effort in Afghanistan will continue despite the “barbaric” terrorist attack at Kabul airport, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said pic.twitter.com/DEcRDyezJp
Norway can no longer assist in evacuating remaining citizens from Afghanistan’s capital, the foreign minister, Ine Eriksen Søreide, has said.
“The doors at the airport are now closed and it is no longer possible to get people in,” Søreide told broadcaster TV2.
At least 13 people have been killed after two powerful explosions in a suspected terror attack at one of the main entrance’s to Kabul’s international airport, amid a huge and chaotic evacuation effort from Afghanistan on Thursday. At least one of the explosions is suspected to have been from a suicide bombing.
The attack came just hours after western intelligence agencies warned of an imminent and “very credible” terrorist threat in the final phase of the evacuation effort and urged people to leave the area.
The prime suspects for the blasts are Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan – known as the “Khorasan province” (Isis-K).
A Pentagon official confirmed a number of US and civilian casualties in the “complex attack”, believed to have been one suicide bombing close to the Abbey gate entrance to the airfield, with the second explosion occurring near the Baron hotel which has been used to process Afghans hoping to come to the UK. There were also reports of small arms fire.
A Taliban spokesperson said at least 13 people were killed, including children, with many Taliban guards wounded.
An emergency hospital in Kabul said it had received 60 wounded people so far, with six dying on the way to hospital.
A US official has said at least 5 US military personnel may have been hurt. Some reports suggest this include 3 marines.
No UK military or government staff in Kabul were among the casualties, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Taliban has condemned the bombings and said they took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security.
There was no indication from the White House later on Thursday that Joe Biden plans to change the 31 August US withdrawal target as a result of twin explosions at the Kabul airport.
US officials are increasingly concerned about further attacks at the airport.
Boris Johnson is chairing an emergency meeting of Cobra this afternoon after being updated on the situation.
The UK government has issued a notice to airlines to avoid Afghan airspace under 25,000ft after the attack.
Further to that last post, this is the statement from the Taliban’s spokesman Suhail Shaheen, condemning the bombings on behalf of the Islamic Emirate.
The Taliban has condemned the bombings outside Kabul international airport and said the attacks happened in an area controlled by US forces, PA Media is reporting.
PA Media(@PA)
#Breaking The Taliban have condemned the bombings outside Kabul airport, saying they happened in an area controlled by US forces
An Afghan man who has a British passport and lives in Derby has told of frightening scenes just hours before the bombs went off.
He, his wife and five children aged 11 months to 13 years old had spent four days in the queue but made it to the top of the line at the Baron hotel, the British army gathering point last night.
“We were waiting for the British army to call us, but they never did,” said Ahmad. Then Taliban units suddenly moved in to clear the area.
They were shooting in the air screaming ‘get out, get out’. My kids were screaming and couldn’t stop crying. People were pushing each other, people were being crushed. But we ran away and we are at home now and afraid to go out. It was horrible. We are safe, but we are scared. We think this is the end for us and the British army won’t be flying any more.
As we reported earlier, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters that there was no indication from the White House on Thursday that Joe Biden plans to change the 31 August US withdrawal target after twin explosions at Kabul airport.
The US president was meeting with his top national security advisers in the White House Situation Room as reports of the blasts, which he and other officials have been warning about, were made public.
Biden, secretary of state Tony Blinken, defence secretary Lloyd Austin, joint chiefs of staff chairman general Mark Milley and vice-president Kamala Harris monitored events in Afghanistan via video links in the secure room, in a meeting that lasted well over two hours.
The bombings, which caused multiple casualties outside the Kabul airport, forced Biden to postpone – at least until later in the day – his first face-to-face meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett.
He cancelled a meeting with a bipartisan group of state governors about temporarily housing or helping resettle Afghan refugees being flown out of Afghanistan.
Biden “will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation throughout the day”, the White House said.
Biden on Tuesday said the United States was on pace to finish its pullout by 31 August. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said as of now there were no changes to that timeline.
Three US marines were injured in the attack, NBC News is reporting, citing three US military officials.
Raf Sanchez(@rafsanchez)
NEW: Three US Marines were injured in the attack at Kabul airport, US officials tell @NBCNews.
The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned a “terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians” near the airport in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, a UN spokesperson said.
“This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people,” Stéphane Dujarric told reporters.
He said that “as far as we know at this moment” there are no casualties among UN staff.
The UK has issued a notice to airlines to avoid Afghan airspace under 25,000ft after the attack at Kabul airport.
This is from the transport secretary, Grant Shapps.
Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP(@grantshapps)
Following the shocking scenes in Afghanistan today, I have issued a NOTAM (Notice to Aviation) further advising airlines to avoid Afghan airspace under 25,000ft. We will continue to keep this under review.
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