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'Because of foreign forces,' Taliban blame US for Kabul airport blast
The Taliban said at least 52 people were wounded in the blast near the Baron Hotel. The number of casualties in the other blast was not known, spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the Kabul airport blast and said that US forces were responsible for the security of the area where the twin blasts took place. "The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security. The Islamic Emirate is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people," the spokesperson said.
Terming the twin blasts as a terrorist act, Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban had alerted the US and other western forces about a possible attack by the IS.
Turkey's Haberturk television quoted a Taliban official saying that the blasts took place because of the presence of foreign forces. "As soon as the airport situation is figured out and the foreign forces leave, we will not have such attacks anymore," a Taliban official has been quoted by the Turkish channel. Whole world should condemn this, the spokesperson told the news channel.
Kabul airport blast came from within crowd of passengers: Report
The blast took place as countries are wrapping up their evacuation process and the western countries issued alerts regarding a possible attack. Following the twin blasts in which at least 13 have been killed and dozens have been injured, the US Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert asking people not to travel to the airport. US citizens who are at the Abbey Gate East Gate or North Gate should leave immediately, the advisory said.
The security crisis has posed a threat to the ongoing evacuation process. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said forces should continue to evacuate as many vulnerable people as possible without pausing the present evacuation drive. "Our priority remains to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible," he tweeted after two deadly explosions hit crowds on the perimeter of the airport in Afghanistan's capital.
US Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted urging President Joe Biden to make Bagram airforce operational as an alternative to the Kabul airport. "We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram," Graham tweeted.
