JUST IN: Pentagon confirms explosion outside Kabul airport

The US Pentagon on Thursday confirmed that there was an explosion at the Kabul airport, in Afghanistan.

This followed multiple warnings by officials of the UK, US, and Australia that a terror attack at the Kabul airport was looming.

The blast was reported outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, with Pentagon press secretary John Kirby saying there was no immediate word on casualties., however, there were injuries among Afghans.

There is “very, very credible” intelligence that Islamic State militants are planning an imminent attack on those gathering at Kabul airport in an attempt to flee Afghanistan, British armed forces minister James Heappey had told BBC on Thursday.

READ ALSO: US Embassy warns citizens to leave Afghanistan amid heightened insecurity

Reuters had earlier reported the US embassy in Kabul had advised US nationals to avoid travelling to the Kabul airport and called on those at the gates of the airport to leave immediately. The embassy cited “security threats” as the reason for the warning.

Thousands of Afghans remain at the airport as they try to flee the country in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover.

With the August 31 deadline for the US withdrawal of forces coming near, many are trying to leave with the Americans.

The US­ is evacuating both its personnel and some of the Afghan nationals who allied with it during the occupation in Afghanistan, including interpreters who face the risk of retribution from the Taliban.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-58279900

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