Two officials said 169 Afghans were killed, but a final tally could take time in confusion, with many bodies dismembered or not yet identified. One more number was injured in the blasts. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media. The United States said 13 soldiers were killed on the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
As Afghan officials struggled to cope with the dead, at least ten bodies were lying on the ground outside Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, where relatives said the funeral home could take no more.
As the call for prayer echoed through Kabul on Friday along with the roar of departing planes, the hectic crowds outside the city airport seemed as large as ever despite the risks. They are well aware that the window is closed to board a flight before the airlift ends and Western troops withdraw.
VIDEO: Pres. Biden’s remarks after the Kabul attack
In an emotional speech Thursday night, President Joe Biden blamed the Afghan state affiliate of the Islamic State group, which is far more radical than the Taliban fighters who took power less than two weeks ago in a lightning strike. the whole country.
“We will rescue the Americans; we will take out our Afghan allies and our mission will continue,” Biden said. But despite intense pressure to extend Tuesday’s deadline and his vote to prosecute those responsible, he cited the threat of more terrorist attacks as a reason to maintain his plan, as the Taliban have repeatedly insisted it should do. -ho.
The Taliban have regained control of Afghanistan two decades after being ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the September 11 attacks, which were orchestrated by the presence of al-Qaeda extremists in the country. . Their return to power has terrified many Afghans, who fear they will re-impose the kind of repressive rule they did when they last controlled. As a result, thousands of people have rushed to flee the country before the US withdrawal.
The United States said more than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated from Kabul, but thousands more are struggling to leave on one of the largest air bridges in history. The White House said Friday morning that 8,500 evacuees had been transported aboard U.S. military aircraft in the previous 24 hours, along with some 4,000 people on coalition flights. That is, the same total as the day before the attacks.
More people waiting to flee arrived at the airport on Friday, although in one area Taliban fighters set up a cordon about 500 meters (1,600 feet) away.
MORE: What to Know About the Islamic State of Afghanistan Believed to Be Behind Kabul Airport Attack
The attacks led Jamshad to head there in the morning with his wife and three young children, taking an invitation to a Western country he did not want to name. This was his first attempt to leave.
“After the explosion, I decided to give it a try because I’m afraid there will be more attacks now and I think I have to leave now,” said Jamshad, who like many Afghans only uses one name.
Others acknowledged that going to the airport was risky, but said they had few options.
MORE: How the US will respond to Kabul airport attacks
“Believe me, I think an explosion will happen any second or minute, God is my witness, but we have many challenges in our lives, so we risk coming here and overcoming fear,” Ahmadullah Herawi said.
Many others will try to escape from land borders. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said half a million or more people could flee in a “worse scenario” in the coming months.
After the attacks, General Frank McKenzie, the head of the U.S. central command overseeing the evacuation, warned that more were possible and that U.S. commanders were working with the Taliban to prevent them. Sweden’s foreign minister also said there was a threat, but offered no details.
Scenes of chaos, despair and horror from the airport have shaken the world. Images of people standing on their knees in the sewage and families pushing documents and even young children toward American troops behind razor wire have come to symbolize both the chaos of the last days of the presence. American in the country as the Afghans have fears for their future.
SEE: Former army guard says evacuation chaos in Afghanistan is a “mosh pit against steroids”
But the chances of helping those hoping to join the evacuation are fading quickly. Many U.S. allies have already completed their efforts, in part to give the United States time to complete its own operations before withdrawing 5,000 from its troops on Tuesday.
Britain said on Friday that its evacuations from Afghanistan will end in a few hours and the main British processing center for eligible Afghans has closed. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News that there would be “eight or nine” evacuation flights on Friday. British troops will march in the coming days.
The Italian foreign minister confirmed that his last military flight that would evacuate people would leave on Friday. And French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told Europe 1 radio that the country will end its operation “soon”, but that it can extend it until after Friday night.
The Taliban have said they will allow Afghans to leave by commercial flights after the withdrawal from the United States, but it is still unclear which airlines would return to a militant-controlled airport.
Turkey has been asked to operate Kabul airport, but a decision will be made “after the administration (in Afghanistan) is clear,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. Taliban leaders have held talks with former Afghan leaders.
Countless Afghans, especially those who had worked with the United States and other Western countries, are now hiding, fearing reprisals despite the group’s full offer of amnesty. The new rulers have tried to project an image of moderation in recent weeks: a stark contrast to the harsh rule they imposed from 1996 to 2001, when they demanded that women be accompanied by a male relative when they left home. banned television and music, and carried out public executions.
Despite promises, Afghans in Kabul and elsewhere have reported that some Taliban members ban girls from attending school and go door-to-door in search of people working with Western forces.
The bombings also raise questions about Taliban vows to bring security to Afghanistan. No one knows how effective they will be in the fight against ISIS Sunni extremists, who have carried out a series of brutal attacks on Afghanistan, mainly targeting their Shiite Muslim minority.
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Akhgar reported from Istanbul, Gannon of Islamabad and Anna of Nairobi, Kenya. Associated Press writers from around the world collaborated.
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