12 US servicemen killed, 15 wounded in Kabul attack

Washington – Twelve US servicemen were killed and 15 others injured in an attack outside the airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, marking a deadly turning point in US efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies before the deadline August 31 set by President Biden to step down.

The Pentagon said a suicide bomber detonated a crowd waiting at the entrance to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, where thousands have gathered every day since the city fell to the Taliban, desperate to board flights from the country. Another explosion hit a nearby hotel, the Pentagon said. Dozens of Afghan civilians are also believed to be among the dead and injured.

Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command, confirmed the US death toll and said those responsible were “considered ISIS fighters.” U.S. officials, including the president, have warned of a continuing threat posed by ISIS’s affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS Khorasan, or ISIS-K.

The attack marked one of the deadliest days for US forces in Afghanistan in the 20 years since the Allied invasion.

Mr. Biden is expected to address the nation about the White House attacks Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.

McKenzie said US forces were “ready to take action” against the attackers. “Twenty-four-seven, we are looking for them,” he said. McKenzie added that he expects the attacks to continue and the threat of ongoing attacks to remain high.

A Taliban spokesperson condemned “the horrific incident” and said the group “will take all necessary steps to bring the culprits to justice.”

As the United States rushes to evacuate American citizens and Afghans who aided American troops during the war, as well as those threatened by the Taliban, Mr. Biden warned that the risk to American and Allied forces on the terrain was increasing with each passing day.

Wednesday night, the United States and Great Britain informed citizens not to go to Kabul airport due to a terrorist threat outside the gates of the facility. The US Embassy in the capital has alerted US citizens to avoid going to the airport and said those at three different gates “should leave immediately.”