People who want to flee the country continue to wait around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul (Afghanistan) on August 25, 2021.
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LONDON – UK officials have warned of a “highly credible” threat of an attack on Kabul airport by Islamic State militants.
It comes as a massive evacuation effort enters its final stages, with countries struggling to get people out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden.
Some European countries have already begun to stop flights.
The United States and other Western countries involved in the evacuation have urged people to stay away from the airport amid growing concerns about possible terrorist activities.
UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told Sky News that a “imminent and lethal attack” on Kabul airport could be about to take place.
“Intelligence over the week has become more confident about the highly credible, imminent lethal attack on the airport or handling centers used by Western forces,” Heappey told Sky News.
Meanwhile, the UK Office for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development issued new guidelines to warn of “a continuing and high threat of terrorist attack”. He urged people not to travel to Hamid Karzai International Airport, to stay away from a safe place and to wait for more advice.
Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembark a British military transport aircraft at the RAF Brize Norton station in the south of England on 26 August 2021.
JACOB KING | AFP | Getty Images
On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. embassy in Kabul urged U.S. citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the capital’s airport, citing an unspecified security threat outside the gates.
“Due to security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid the airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from ‘a representative of the US government to do so,’ the security alert said. .
“U.S. citizens who are in Abbey Gate, East Gate or North Gate should now leave immediately,” he added.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul advised Americans to be aware of the environment at all times, to follow the instructions of local authorities, to have a contingency plan for emergencies, and to monitor events in the local media and the State Department.
Evacuations enter the final phase
The U.S. administration has not provided the full number of Americans and Afghans it intends to evacuate before troops leave at the end of the month.
NATO allies and members of the president’s own party have pushed for an extension of the withdrawal period, expressing doubt that the coalition could evacuate all Afghans who could leave in such a short time.
However, Biden reiterated on Tuesday to leaders of the G-7, NATO, the United Nations and the European Union that the United States will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan later this month.
Denmark said its last flight out of the Afghan capital came out on Thursday, and Defense Minister Trine Bramsen warned: “It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.”
– CNBC’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.