London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

US On Alert For More Kabul Attacks, Says Next Few Days Will Be Most Dangerous

US On Alert For More Kabul Attacks, Says Next Few Days Will Be Most Dangerous

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States believed there are still "specific, credible" threats against the airport.

U.S. forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on Friday after an ISIS suicide bombing killed at least 92 people, including 13 U.S. service members, just outside Kabul airport.

The White House said the next few days of an ongoing U.S. evacuation operation that the Pentagon said has taken about 111,000 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks are likely to be the most dangerous.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States believes there are still "specific, credible" threats against the airport after the bombing at one of its gates.

"We certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts," Kirby told reporters in Washington. "We're monitoring these threats, very, very specifically, virtually in real time."

U.S. and allied forces are racing to complete evacuations of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans and to withdraw from Afghanistan by an Aug. 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden after two decades of American military presence in Afghanistan.

In the past day, another 12,500 people were evacuated including more than 300 American citizens, U.S. officials said. A total of approximately 5,100 Americans have been evacuated, U.S. officials added, with about 500 more waiting to leave.

While thousands have been evacuated, they are far outnumbered by those who could not get out.

Some U.S. media including the New York Times cited local health officials as saying up to 170 people, not including the U.S. troops, had died in the attack.

Thousands of people have gathered outside the airport to try to get onto evacuation flights since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15. The attack was the deadliest incident for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in a decade.

Taliban forces have taken up positions in Kabul airport and are ready to take full control as early as this weekend, as soon as U.S. forces leave, two senior Taliban figures said. One senior commander said Taliban forces had taken over most of the airport, "just not a small part where the Americans still are".

"As soon as the Americans leave, they just have to give us the signal and we will then take over," a second Taliban official said.

Kirby disputed the Taliban account, telling reporters that the military section of the airport remains under U.S. control.

"They are not in charge of any of the gates. They are not in charge of any of the airport operations. That is still under U.S. military control," Kirby said.

The United States expects some ongoing engagement with the Taliban will be necessary after the withdrawal to facilitate further evacuations, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

SINGLE SUICIDE BOMBER


Islamic State (ISIS), an enemy of the Islamist Taliban as well as the West, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which the Pentagon said on Friday was carried out by one suicide bomber at an airport gate, not two as it earlier stated. The Pentagon had said on Thursday a second bomb had exploded at a nearby hotel.

The number of Afghans killed has risen to 79, a hospital official told Reuters on Friday, adding that more than 120 were wounded. A Taliban official said the dead included 28 Taliban members, although a spokesman later denied any such fighters had been killed.

The attack underlined the realpolitik facing Western powers in Afghanistan: Engaging with Taliban forces who they have long sought to fend off may be their best chance to prevent the country becoming a breeding ground for Islamist militancy.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the bombing as "especially abhorrent" for targeting civilians trying to flee the country.

Biden said on Thursday he has ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility. Asked on Friday if Biden sought to capture and put on trial those responsible, Psaki said "I think he made it clear yesterday that he does not want them to live on the earth anymore."

Biden was already facing strong criticism at home and abroad for the chaos surrounding the troop withdrawal and evacuations. As the Taliban rapidly advanced to Kabul amid the pullout, Afghanistan's Western-backed government and military collapsed. Biden has defended his decisions, saying the United States long ago achieved its rationale for invading the country in 2001.

The U.S.-led invasion toppled the then-ruling Taliban, punishing them for harbouring al Qaeda militants who masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that year.

Most of the more than 20 allied countries involved in airlifting Afghans and their own citizens out of Kabul said they had completed evacuations by Friday.

The Taliban said that Afghans with valid documents would be able to travel freely in future at any time - comments aimed at calming fears that the movement planned harsh restrictions on freedom.

Taliban guards blocked access to the airport on Friday, witnesses said. "We had a flight but the situation is very tough and the roads are blocked," said one man on an approach road.

Medical supplies will run out within days in Afghanistan, the World Health Organization said, adding that it hopes to establish an air bridge into the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif with the help of Pakistan.

Pakistani officials told Reuters that at the Torkham border crossing, Pakistani security forces had opened fire on a group of people trying to illegally enter Pakistan, adding that two Afghans were killed and two others wounded.

Those killed on Thursday included two British nationals and the child of a third British national, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said.

Up to half a million Afghans could flee their homeland by year-end, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said, appealing to all neighbouring countries to keep their borders open.

There are also growing worries Afghans will face a humanitarian emergency with the coronavirus spreading and shortages of food and medical supplies looming.

The Taliban have asked all women healthcare workers to return to work, a spokesman said, amid mounting pressure on public services as trained and educated Afghans flee the country.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×