By Venkatesh Raghavan
At least 13 feared killed, 15 injured in the terror attacks
Hours after American and other Western intelligence agencies sounded an alert of terror attacks at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, the Hamid Karzai International airport at Kabul witnessed a suicide bomb attack that was followed close on heels with sounds of loud gunfire on early Thursday. With the deadline set by American President Joe Biden for complete withdrawal of US forces and personnel stationed in Afghanistan drawing nearer to the August 31 mark, there was an air of uncertainty on how the Americans and its Western allies are going to manage their evacuation plan.
As of now, all Western nations including Canada, France and the United Kingdom have issued strict warnings to their nationals to avoid traveling to the Kabul airport. The suicide bombing took place outside the Abbey Gate of the Karzai airport. The exact number of casualties and list of injured were yet to be out at the time of going to press, though unconfirmed reports suggested at least 13 deaths and 15 injuries.
The suicide bombing followed by indiscriminate rounds of firing have thrown a spanner into the works of the US and its allies to effect a smooth and prompt evacuation of their staff and also aides who assisted them in the Afghan imbroglio. Though no terrorist group claimed responsibility for the early morning attacks, the US security agencies surmised that it could be the handiwork of ISIS-K or the Islamic State of Khorasan -an affiliate of the group that overran large parts of Syria and Iraq to establish a so-called “caliphate”. The allies made it clear that their presence on the ground will continue till the entire evacuation process gets completed.
Meanwhile, the US has already accommodated thousands of Afghan refugees at its military bases and some even at community colleges. Having fled to safety from the firepower of the Taliban forces, they are now faced with a challenge of building a new chapter in their lives with virtually no social support system to speak of.
The fast approaching withdrawal deadline in the face of hindrance caused by the terror attack has caused the G7 allies including France, Germany, United Kingdom and Canada to request US President Joe Biden to extend his evacuation schedule well beyond the proposed August 31. The situation on the ground being the presence of allied troops in Kabul is augmented by a 6,000-strong American contingent, news is awaited on revised evacuation plans from the other countries. Currently all the gates to Kabul airport have been closed. The American embassy has already strictly cautioned its citizens, asking them to avoid any bid to travel towards the Kabul airport.
