- US Marines killed in Kabul bombing.
- Dozens of Afghan civilians die in Kabul airport explosions.
- Many US allies have already ended Kabul evacuation.
Four US Marines and at least 60 Afghans were killed in Thursday’s attack on the Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
According to the latest reports, the US envoy in Kabul told embassy staff there that four US Marines were killed and three were wounded in the airport attack. At the same time a senior Afghan health official said that the death toll among local civilians was at least at 60, with many more fighting for their lives.
US Department of Defense has officially confirmed that several US troops were among those killed in Thursday’s attack on the Kabul airport in a statement released by press secretary John Kirby.
The agency has not specified the number of deaths, adding that several more Americans have been injured.
The casualties resulted from a “complex attack” that also killed a number of Afghan civilians, according to the Pentagon. The explosions – believed to have resulted from one suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate and one vehicle bomb near the Baron Hotel – left a total of 13 people dead, a Taliban spokesperson has confirmed.
Many US allies had either already ended their evacuation efforts before Thursday’s explosions, citing advance intelligence about a terrorist attack, or have announced Thursday as the last chance to exit.
Denmark and Canada are no longer flying evacuation missions; Poland and the Netherlands have stopped flying since the attack, while Italy stopped Thursday night, and France announced a Friday deadline. The UK and US, however, are continuing their flights as thousands attempt to pile on the rapidly dwindling number of available planes.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- US Department of Defense has officially confirmed that several US troops were among those killed in Thursday's attack on the Kabul airport in a statement released by press secretary John Kirby.
- According to the latest reports, the US envoy in Kabul told embassy staff there that four US Marines were killed and three were wounded in the airport attack.
- The explosions – believed to have resulted from one suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate and one vehicle bomb near the Baron Hotel – left a total of 13 people dead, a Taliban spokesperson has confirmed.
