Additionally, an Afghan official said that at least 60 Afghans were killed in Thursday’s attack, while 143 were injured, the Associated Press reported. McKenzie warned during the briefing that there is still a “real” and “imminent” threat from ISIS-K that could include entail rockets, gunfire and suicide attacks.
“We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue,” he said.
McKenzie said that the U.S. was still trying to determine the group responsible for the attack, but promised to “go after them” if they were identified. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks on its official news outlet, Amaq News Agency, though their involvement has not been officially confirmed by the U.S.
The names of the individuals killed or injured have not been publicly released, and it remains unclear how many others were injured or the extent of their wounds.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed earlier in the day that “a number of U.S. service members and Afghans were killed in the attack.” The Department of Defense is expected to brief the media at 3 pm. ET, when more information about the explosions is expected.
The explosions come after the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent an alert urging citizens to avoid the airport due to a security threat. Officials were concerned groups like ISIS-K are planning an assault on the facility.
U.S. officials believe ISIS is behind the attacks. In the briefing, McKenzie said two suicide bombers deployed the explosives while gunmen fired into the crowd gathered at the airport’s Abbey Gate.
Several European countries announced early on Thursday morning that they would be halting airlifts out of Afghanistan, citing “very credible” evidence of an imminent attack and the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers. It means thousands looking for an escape from Taliban rule may have to wait for longer for support — or risk dangerous smuggling trips out of the country.
The live updates for this event have ended.
KEY MOMENTS
ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul attacks on official news outlet At least 60 Afghans killed, 143 wounded in attacks, Afghan official says Pentagon says there is still a “very real” threat from ISIS Taliban “strongly condemns” Kabul attacks Pentagon says suicide bomber was probably being searched when bomb was detonated
ISIS made the claim through its official news outlet, Amaq News Agency, announcing “around 160 killed and wounded from the American forces and those collaborating with them in a martyrdom attack of the Islamic State near Kabul airport.”
Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said during a Pentagon briefing earlier Thursday that the U.S. was still working to determine the party responsible, but there is still a “real” and “imminent” threat from ISIS-K.
“We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue,” he said.
A Taliban spokesperson denounced the attack in a statement shared on Twitter, saying that the “evil circles will be stopped in full force.”
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul Airport,” Zabihullah Mujahid said in the statement. “The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a U.S. military base. The Islamic Emirate is very concerned about the security and protection of its people.”
READ MORE: ISIS Takes Credit for Kabul Explosion That Killed US Marines, Taliban Vows to Fight ‘Evil’ Attackers
She asserted that Congress “on a bipartisan basis” is “deeply concerned about the security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.”
“As we work with the Biden Administration to bring stability to the situation, Congress must continue to be kept closely informed, which is why I have requested that the Executive Branch continue to brief Members. At the same time, our Committees of Jurisdiction will continue to hold briefings on Afghanistan,” she said in the statement.
Multiple items of Biden’s schedule were cancelled or delayed throughout the day as he monitored the events in Afghanistan.
Biden’s remarks are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, and can be viewed live here.
Now, U.S. officials believe ISIS-K is responsible for the attacks on the Kabul airport Thursday.
The ISIS-K, or ISIS-Khorasan, faction first arose in 2015 when an ex-Taliban member declared the group’s presence in the Khorasan Province, a historical area encompassing parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Since then, it has been the largest group claiming ISIS affiliation in Afghanistan.
ISIS-K and the Taliban have a tumultuous relationship in the region.
“Basically, the Taliban has consistently considered ISIS as an enemy,” Anthony H. Cordesman, an expert on military strategy and the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek. “It is seen as a non-Afghan group, in terms of loyalty, by the Taliban, [one] that does not conform to their concept of Sharia.”
Cordesman said ISIS-K interprets Sharia law as a religious justification for a Caliphate, a person considered a politico-religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad who leads the entire Muslim world. This runs contrary to the power structure of the Taliban, which seeks to exert influence over Afghan customs and social practices.
“People of the same faith can be even more violent when dealing with sects of the same faith,” Cordesman told Newsweek. “These are much more power struggles than they are religious debates.”
READ MORE: “How Taliban’s Feud with ISIS Could Doom Its Push for International Recognition”
“To do anything less-especially now-would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan,” Austin said in a statement.
Austin expressed condolences to the loved ones and colleagues of those killed in the attacks on behalf of the Department of Defense.
“Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others,” he said.
“We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.”
At this point, General Kenneth McKenzie said there was one suicide bomber at the airport but could not confirm if the bomber was a female or male. He also is unsure of the blast radius of the bomb and how it was able to kill so many U.S. service members.
McKenzie added that there “was a failure somewhere” that allowed the bomber to go through the Taliban checkpoints to the U.S. Marines where the bomb was set off.
U.S. officials have confirmed at least 12 U.S. service members were also killed, according to the AP.
General McKenzie said that there is still a “real” and “imminent” threat from ISIS-K.
Such threats could be from rockets, gunfire and suicide attacks, General McKenzie said.
“We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue,” he said.
However, he said ISIS “will not deter us from continuing the mission.”
General McKenzie added that the U.S. is working to determine who is responsible for the attack.
“If we can find who’s associated with this, we will go after them,” he said.
During a press briefing Thursday, Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said that there were two suicide bombers and a gunmen who fired into the crowd.
“Now is the time to redouble our evacuation efforts and do everything we can to get people out who are most at risk,” she said in the tweet.
“Today’s attacks are horrific. My prayers go out to those who were injured and the families of those who were killed. I also continue to pray for the safety of our troops, the stranded American citizens, our allies and Afghan partners who remain in the area. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of the withdrawal,” the statement said.
McCarthy also addressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, requesting that she end a Congressional recess before Aug. 31 so that members of Congress “can be briefed thoroughly and comprehensively by the Biden Administration and pass Representative [Mike] Gallagher’s legislation prohibiting the withdrawal of our troops until every American is out of Afghanistan.”
The UNHCR is an agency of the UN that aids refugees and “forcibly displaced communities” in their resettlement in other countries.
The president earlier on Thursday condemned the attacks outside the Kabul airport, saying that it was “essential to do everything to ensure the safety of people at the airport.”
“We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement. “A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack.”
The second confirmed explosion took place near Baron Hotel, where crowds of people hoping to receive passage out of Afghanistan were instructed to wait before going to the airport.
Paul “Pen” Farthing, who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan, told Britain’s Press Association news agency that he and some of his staff were in a vehicle near the airport when the chaos started.
“All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47,” Farthing said.
Johnson said the “barbaric” terrorist attack “isn’t going to interrupt our progress.”
“We are going to get on with this evacuation,” he said.
He said that “what this attack shows is the importance of continuing that work in as fast and as efficient manner as possible in the hours that remain to us.”
This comes after Johnson chaired an emergency COBR meeting to discuss the explosions at the Kabul airport.
The Kabul Emergency Hospital had to add extra beds to accommodate wounded victims of the attack, according to Emergency NGO President Rossella Miccio.
“Our hospital in Kabul was already 80 percent full before the explosions. Now we added extra beds to admit wounded people coming from the airport in life-threatening conditions,” Micci told Al Jazeera.
A 12 p.m. ET press briefing from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was delayed to an unspecified time, as well as Biden’s meeting with the Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett. Biden’s meeting with Afghan governors and a briefing from the White House COVID-19 Response Team were cancelled.
Kaitlan Collins, a CNN White House correspondent, tweeted that Biden was monitoring the Afghanistan situation in the Situation Room Thursday morning with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
He has since moved to the Oval Office, Collins tweeted.
An anonymous U.S. official previously told the AP that the Islamic State group, which is unrelated to the Taliban, was “definitely believed” to be behind the attacks.
The Italian NGO hospital initially said six people were dead on arrival at the Kabul Surgical Center.
“We have activated all mass casualty protocols,” the hospital said in a tweet.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that up to 1,500 Americans might still be seeking evacuation from Afghanistan as the Aug. 31 deadline approaches. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that at least 13 people died and 15 were wounded in the attacks.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she condemns the attacks and urged the international community to “work closely together to avoid a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and beyond.”
European Council President Charles Michel said he was concerned about the attacks.
“We need to ensure the current instability cannot give rise to a resurgence of terrorism,” he said in a tweet.
Both leaders emphasized the importance of “securing safe passage to the airport.”
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also condemns the “horrific terrorist attack” outside of the Kabul airport.
“I strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack outside Kabul airport,” he said in a tweet. “My thoughts are with all those affected and their loved ones. Our priority remains to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible.”
British Prime Minister will chair an emergency meeting on the Kabul situation later on Thursday, according to several media reports.
Mitt Romney tweeted that his “heart breaks” for the U.S. military members and Afghan civilians wounded or killed in the explosion. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise also tweeted Thursday asking for prayers “for all of our troops and citizens in Afghanistan right now.”
Others are blaming President Joe Biden for the attacks, including Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” he wrote in a tweet.
At a news conference during a visit with the Irish prime minister in Dublin, Macron said “we are facing an extremely tense situation that makes us coordinate obviously with our American allies and call for the utmost caution in a context we don’t control.”
Macron added that France will try to evacuate French nationals people from allied countries and Afghans from Kabul “as long as the conditions will be met” at the airport.
The French ambassador will leave Afghanistan and continue his work from Paris.
The official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, also said that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers and gunmen. Some U.S. military members were among the wounded, the AP reported.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian casualties,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby tweeted.
Kirby also confirmed “at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.”
“There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire,” the alert said.
“U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time,” it added. “U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.”
U.S. officials told Reuters that the explosion appears to be caused by a suicide bomb.
President Biden has been briefed on the explosion outside Kabul airport, a White House official said.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed the reports of an explosion in a tweet and said that “casualties are unclear at this time.”
A government source now tells Reuters that Afghan forces shot into the air to disperse crowds near the airport and did not fire at the Italian military transport plane.
Earlier, a defense source told Reuters that the C-130 transport carrying Afghan former NATO workers was fired upon as it left the airport.
The plane was not damaged during the incident.
An Italian journalist who was on the flight told Sky 24 TG that the plane was carrying around 100 Afghan civilians when it came under fire moments after it had taken off from the airport.
READ MORE: “Shots Fired at Italian Military Plane Departing Kabul Airport”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent an alert late Wednesday night advising citizens to avoid traveling to the Kabul airport unless specifically instructed to do so due to a “security threat outside the gates.”
“It was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling,” he said during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.
“Our intention was to urge Americans and frankly others not to come to the airport,” he said.
Wilson said the U.S. is working on ways to assist Americans in “getting to the airport in a safe and secure manner.”
“Being part of these huge crowds that remain around the gates, entrances to the airport, is dangerous. We’re obviously concerned about our own people as well,” he added.
About 5,100 people were evacuated on 17 U.S. military flights and about 8,300 people were evacuated on 74 coalition aircraft.
Since the end of July, the U.S. has relocated about 101,300 people.
About 3,700 people out of Kabul, according to acting Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre. Only a small group of troops remain on the ground.
“We stayed in Afghanistan for as long as we could,” Eyre said. “We were amongst the last to cease evacuation operations. We wish we could have stayed longer and rescued everyone who was so desperate to leave. That we could not is truly heartbreaking, but the circumstances on the ground rapidly deteriorated.”
Eyre said the United States is not to blame for not extending the evacuation deadline, but that “the Taliban are the ones who are inflicting the pain on Afghans.”
The British government told its citizens in Afghanistan to stay away from the Kabul airport amid an “ongoing and high threat” of a terrorist attack.
The Foreign Office says anyone in the area of the airport should “move away to a safe location and await further advice.”
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told BBC Radio Thursday morning that there is “very credible reporting of an imminent attack.”
“People should not come to Kabul Airport, they should move to a safe place and await further instructions,” he said.
“I can only say that the threat is severe,” he added. “We will do our best to protect those who are there.”
Australia and New Zealand have followed Britain’s advisement.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne told citizens to avoid Kabul airport because of a “very high threat of a terrorist attack.”
“It remains a highly dangerous environment,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that a credible threat of a suicide bomber led to the decision to end evacuation operations from the Kabul airport.
“The situation deteriorated significantly, we received information from American sources and from other countries that there was an imminent suicide bomb attack in the area of the airport,” De Croo said during a news conference.
“This information prompted us to engage in a great deal of contact with our allies and ultimately cease all flights from Kabul to Islamabad,” he added.
He said that “in the time we have left, which may be – as I’m sure everybody can appreciate – quite short, we’ll do everything we can to get everybody else”.
Paul “Pen” Farthing appealed to the Taliban to allow the group safe passage into the airport. He tweeted to Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen that “we have been here for 10 hours after being assured that we would have safe passage. Truly would like to go home now.”
Farthing has been pressing for days to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group’s rescued animals.
He confirmed the issue has been raised with Taliban leaders but the fighter(s) involved had not yet been arrested.
Located about 40 miles east of La Crosse, the base is one of three military installations nationwide that has been processing people evacuated from the country.
Johnson visited Fort McCoy alongside colleagues and some military veterans. Democratic Governor Tony Evers was also there on a separate trip and met with some of the refugees, General Glen VanHerck and Major General Paul Knapp, the leader of the Wisconsin National Guard.
It remains unclear which representative was on the jet, which could be seen flying between southern Europe and Asia earlier today.
It follows two congressmen - Democrat Seth Moulton and Republican Peter Meijer - traveling to the Afghan capital secretly to oversee the U.S. evacuation operation.
The surprise trip, which led to U.S. troops leaving their evacuation duties to provide protection to the pair, prompted criticism from the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Przydacz said that some countries have not yet evacuated all their citizens and associates and for this reason they were continuing their evacuation missions.
But Poland has met its evacuation goals and ended its mission.
Foreign and defense ministers say that “the Netherlands has been told by the United States to leave today and will most likely carry out its last flight later today”.
They add that “in light of the extremely quickly deteriorating situation in and around the airport, evacuees can no longer be assisted by the Netherlands to get access to the airport”.
It is unclear if any contingency plans are in place.
Its full name is Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province but goes by multiple names - ISK, ISISK, IS-KP, ISIS-K or Daesh-Khorasan.
The group is known for being particularly extreme, and an enemy of both Western and Taliban forces. ISIS denies any connection to the group.
Though U.S. officials said Wednesday the emergency operation will continue to take people out of the Taliban-controlled country until the August 31 deadline, groups supporting refugees described a “chaotic and minimal” evacuation effort.
Countries are now decided whether to continue evacuation flights, with several announcing pauses or completely withdrawals and leaving thousands stuck in a Afghanistan under Taliban control.
Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Thursday for all the latest.
