New Delhi: On Thursday, the Kabul International Airport was rocked by two powerful explosions amid a huge and chaotic evacuation effort from Afghanistan. According to the reports, all Indians are safe. A Taliban official said at least 13 people were killed in the blast, including children, and many Taliban guards were wounded.
Earlier in the day, the West had warned that Kabul airport could be targeted in the waning days of a massive airlift. Suspicion for any attack targeting the crowds would likely fall on the Islamic State group and not the Taliban, who have been deployed at the airport’s gates trying to control the mass of people.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians”. “This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. He said that “as far as we know at this moment” there are no casualties among UN staff.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also condemned the attack and said that the attackers targeting people hoping to leave Kabul via the airport. According to Reuters, Merkel said she will try to help people seeking to leave Afghanistan even after August 31.
NATO chief has condemned the twin suicide bombings at the Kabul airport as a horrific terrorist attack that targeted desperate Afghans trying to leave the country and the alliances’ efforts to evacuate them from Afghanistan.
from World – India News, Breaking News | India.com https://ift.tt/2WwwBEM
