The United States and its allies warned the people Avoid Traveling to Kabul Airport on Thursday as the anticipation of a possible terrorist attack intimidated evacuation attempts.
There was a threat of an “imminent, fatal attack”. The latest setback for massive airlifts Ahead of President Joe Biden’s deadline is fast approaching To withdraw all US forces from the country.
Thousands continued to crowd the airport in an attempt to flee in the wake of Taliban occupation, with Western nations sounding the alarm and some saying they were ending their evacuation.
In an alert issued on Wednesday evening, the US embassy in Kabul urged Americans not to travel to the airport without personal instructions from a US government representative, citing security threats outside.
It urged citizens to “quit immediately” at three specific gates.
A State Department spokesperson described it as a dynamic and unstable security situation on the ground.
Allies who joined Washington in a rush to evacuate their civilians and vulnerable Afghans ahead of Biden’s August 31 deadline to leave the US issued a similar warning.
“Security situation in Afghanistan remains unstable,” British Foreign Office Said in updated travel advice Late on Wednesday, people were asked to avoid the airport and “move to a far safer place”.
“There is a constant and high risk of terrorist attacks,” the warning said.
On Thursday, UK Armed Forces Minister James Happy told Sky News, the UK partner of NBC News. “imminent, deadly attack” Can be at Kabul airport in a few hours.
Australia also urged its citizens to stay away from the airport, warning of a “very high risk of terrorist attacks” at the airport.
“Be aware of the potential for violence and security threats with large crowds,” the Associated Press quoted the country’s foreign minister, Maris Payne, as saying.
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Kabul Airport Chaotic scenes and security fears On 15 August the Taliban captured the Afghan capital.
Over the weekend, US defense officials warning About tracking specific threats from ISIS against the airport and against Americans and others trying to leave Afghanistan.
Biden is also warned About the risk of attack from Islamic State’s Afghan ally, known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), after the region’s old name.
“Every day we are on the ground and there is another day we know ISIS-K is trying to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians,” he said on Tuesday. “
Despite criticism and pressure at home and abroad, the president is sticking to his deadline for the US military to leave the country.
The Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan has raised concerns that the country could once again provide a breeding ground for terrorist groups.
But the Taliban, whose fighters guard the perimeter outside the airport, are ISIS-K’s enemies.
A senior Taliban commander told NBC News on Thursday that he had issued an alert to his top leadership on the threat posed by ISIS-K.
The group arrested an ISIS terrorist at the airport a few days ago, who told them about the network and their plans, he said on condition of anonymity, and elaborated.
Nearby 1,500 Americans Still living in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, with only a few days left to complete the airlift.
After a chaotic start, the pace of evacuation has increased in recent days, but officials and US allies have expressed doubts that everyone who wants to leave will be out of date.
And as security around airports continues to worsen, some European countries have already indicated they are wrapping up.
French Prime Minister Jean Casteux said French Radio RTL On Thursday night, France will completely end its evacuation from the Afghan capital.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer also said on Wednesday that the time window for evacuation from Kabul was closing because of the deteriorating security situation, according to German broadcaster ZDF.
“It is no longer safe to fly into or out of Kabul,” the Associated Press quoted Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen as saying.
Meanwhile, Belgium has already suspended evacuation flights from Kabul by Prime Minister Alexander de Crew, citing the deteriorating situation in the country. said on twitter Wednesday.
With the deadline coming to an end, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydyk also said that Poland has pulled its last group out of Afghanistan, the Associated Press reports.
Andy Eckard And Nancy Ing has contributed.