Afghanistan: Explosion at Kabul airport
An explosion was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, according to two US officials.
The blast happened at one of the entry gates of the airport and appears to be a suicide attack, according to three US officials. Crowds of Afghans have been gathering at the gates trying to gain access to the airport.
One official said there are injuries among Afghans, but there is no information yet on any US casualties.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed there was an explosion outside of the airport. “We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” he said in a tweet.
US officials said earlier on Thursday that concerns about security around the airport have increased based on “a very specific threat stream.”
The top US diplomat in Kabul, Amb. Ross Wilson, said Thursday that he could not get into the specifics of the security threat outside the gates of the Kabul airport cited in an embassy alert, but noted that “it was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.”
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion outside Kabul airport, a White House official said.