Pentagon officials confirmed Thursday morning there was an explosion outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Nearly 200 people were killed in the attack, according to The Wall Street Journal, with nearly 200 more injured, Afghan officials tell CBS News and others. Thirteen U.S. servicemembers are confirmed dead, with at least 18 more injured. The explosion occurred outside the Abbey gate at the airport.
We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
Witnesses said the explosion was triggered by a suicide bomber. The Pentagon announced Friday the attack was believed to have been carried out by a single bomber after reporting Thursday there were two suicide bombers. In addition to the explosion, there were reports of gunfire in the area surrounding the airport. The Pentagon confirmed Thursday ISIS-K fighters opened fire after the explosions.
Children and Taliban guards were also injured in the explosion, a Taliban official said, according to Reuters reporter Steve Holland.
Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich reported that there are “hundreds of ISIS-K” fighters believed to be in the vicinity of the airport and there’s a chance the attacks will continue.
A heavily injured person outside #Kabul airport. #Tragedy pic.twitter.com/UGN6beoT2Z
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) August 26, 2021
First photo showing chaos after the recent blast at #Kabul airport. pic.twitter.com/UAEQQLMW8L
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) August 26, 2021
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent a security alert Thursday morning warning Americans to evacuate the Kabul airport due to an ongoing security threat, specifically naming the Abbey gate as a point of concern. Reports later emerged that officials were concerned about a possible threat from an ISIS affiliate. (RELATED: Poll: Majority Of Voters Blame Biden For ‘Mismanaging’ US Exit From Afghanistan)
The moment when the explosion occurred at #Kabul airport. pic.twitter.com/m6uB22Yg7p
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) August 26, 2021
Please don’t go to Kabul airport now,
Heavy explosion in front of Abby Camp, shooting has started, USA troops used 6-8 gas bomb on people on east gate and lots of women got injured and burned,
I was there pic.twitter.com/hGEFlLP08b— Ali Hassani (@Ali2994078) August 26, 2021
Suicide bombing outside the Baron hotel near Abbey Gate is where 169 Americans were rescued late last week by 3 Army chinook helicopters.
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) August 26, 2021
Several reports described the attack as a “large” explosion. The U.S. has five days remaining to evacuate American citizens from Afghanistan before the end of its Aug. 31 deadline. It is unclear how the airport attack will affect evacuation efforts or if major damage has been done to the airport.