Friday, August 27, 2021

Afghanistan Suicide Bombing

On 26 August 2021 at 17:50 local time (13:20 UTC), during the evacuation from Afghanistan, a suicide bombing occurred near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.  At least 170 people were killed in the attacks, including 13 members of the United States military, who were the first American military casualties in Afghanistan since February 2020.

Background

After Afghanistan fell to Taliban control on 15 August 2021, Hamid Karzai International Airport became the only secure way out of Afghanistan.  Security concerns grew after hundreds of members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) escaped from jails at Bagram and Pul-e-Charkhi.  Hours before the attack, US diplomats in Kabul warned American citizens to leave the airport because of security threats.  United Kingdom Armed Forces Minister James Heappey had also warned of a highly credible threat of attack at Kabul airport by Islamic State militants.  Embassies from United States, United Kingdom, and Australia also warned about high security threats on the airport.

US President Joe Biden reportedly received multiple reports of a possible attack during the week preceding the attack.

Attack

Amid the 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, a crowd of local and foreign civilians had fled to the airport to evacuate.  At Abbey Gate, one of the gates leading into the airport, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive.  After the explosion, gunfire erupted, and all gates to the airport were closed.  

An eye witness to the explosion stated it occurred by a canal with American forces on one side; checking evacuees passports, visas and other documentation before allowing them inside the airport. Another stated that the explosion felt as if someone pulled the ground from under his feet, and saw other evacuees thrown in the air by the force of the blast.

Victims

At least 170 people were killed during the attack, including at least 62 Afghan civilians, 28 Taliban members, 13 US service members, two British nationals and the child of a third British national.

At least 200 more people were injured, including 18 US military personnel and more Taliban members.  The dead Americans were identified as ten marines, two soldiers, and one Navy corpsman.  The US deaths were the first US service deaths in Afghanistan since February 2020 and were the largest single loss of life of US military personnel since the 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown.

Responsibility

The attack was carried out by ISIL-K, who released a statement in which they claimed responsibility for the attack and named the suicide bomber.

ISIS-K reportedly has strong connections with the Haqqani network, which is linked to the Taliban. ISIS-K and the Taliban are, however, enemies that have been involved in a long, deadly conflict.  The leader of the Haqqani network, Khalil Haqqani, is currently in charge of security in Kabul.  A number of ISIS-K militants were reportedly released by the Taliban on 15 August from Pul-e-Charkhi prison, along with all the other prisoners there.

Reactions

Through a tweet by their spokesperson, the Taliban condemned the attack, saying "evil circles will be strictly stopped".

Abdullah Abdullah, former Chief Executive of Afghanistan and current National Coalition of Afghanistan leader, condemned the attack.  Some civilians claimed to reporters that the attacks had strengthened their resolve to evacuate from the country in fear of more attacks.

U.S. President Joe Biden made a public address following the attacks. He honored the American service members who were killed in the attacks, calling them "heroes" and saying they lost their lives "in the service of liberty", and stated that the U.S. had evacuated more than 100,000 Americans, Afghans, and others. He expressed deep sorrow for the Afghan victims as well. Biden said to those who wished harm upon the US that "we will hunt you down and make you pay."  The government of the United Kingdom also said that they will continue Operation Pitting, the evacuation from Afghanistan.

Many nations expressed condemnation for the Kabul airport attacks and solidarity with the victims and troops conducting evacuations at the airport.  The European Commission and the United Nations likewise condemned the attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel cancelled an upcoming trip to Israel, and will stay in Germany to monitor the evacuation of German troops.  Biden also rescheduled a meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett because of the attacks.  The United Kingdom said civilian evacuations would continue in spite of the attacks.

                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Kabul_airport_attack 

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