Afghanistan: 60 Dead in Kabul Suicide Blasts
ISIS-K struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport in a suicide bomb attack killing scores of civilians and at least 13 U.S. troops.
There was a suicide bomb attack outside the gates of the Kabul Airport on 26 August. There were two such blasts initially. The attack killed 60 civilians and at least 13 U.S. troops. It also disrupted the airlift of thousands of Afghans desperate to flee. Hours after the twin blasts, a third explosion was reported by news agency AFP while unconfirmed news reports said there may have been more. Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) , which is a branch of The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) , has taken responsibility for the attack. The group said one of its suicide bombers targeted "translators and collaborators with the American army". Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies scattered around a canal on the edge of the airport. One Afghan who had been trying to reach the airport said, "For a moment I thought my eardrums were blasted and I lost my sense of hearing. I saw bodies and body parts flying in the air like a tornado blowing plastic bags. I saw bodies, body parts, elders and injured men, women and children scattered. That little water flowing in the sewage canal had turned into blood."
Zubair, a 24 year-old civil engineer, who had been trying for nearly a week to get inside the airport with a cousin who had papers authorising him to travel to the United States, said he was 50 metres from a suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the gate. USA President Joe Biden vowed to go after ISIS-K and said he had ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K. "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said during televised comments from the White House.Violence by ISIS is a challenge for the Taliban, who have promised Afghans they will bring peace to the country they swiftly conquered. A Taliban spokesman described the attack as the work of "evil circles" who would be suppressed once foreign troops leave.
Countries fear that the Taliban, who once sheltered Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, will allow Afghanistan to turn again into a haven for militants. However, the Taliban said they will not let the country be used by terrorists.
