Two powerful explosions outside the Kabul airport killed at least 20 people on Thursday, just hours after Western nations warned of an imminent terror threat while thousands of people gathered hoping for a flight out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s main spokesman, said that ‘between 13 and 20; people were killed and 52 wounded in the blasts, while Kabul hospitals reported six dead and up to 90 wounded. The Taliban condemned the blasts, saying they were in an area under US. military control.
Meanwhile, the head of the US military’s European Command says that so far more than 7,000 evacuees from Afghanistan have been flown to eight locations around Europe, mainly in Germany and Italy. General Tod Wolters said that 55 evacuation flights from Afghanistan have flown into Ramstein Air Base in Germany and three into Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. He says the flights brought nearly 5,800 evacuees from Kabul to Ramstein and 662 to Sigonella.
Smaller numbers of flights and people have gone to six other European locations, largely bases in Germany. Flights will soon be going into the base at Rota, Spain. Wolters says there have been few medical or security problems. He says fewer than 100 individuals have needed additional medical screening, and of those fewer than 25 needed medical attention at the military hospital. More than half of them have already returned to Ramstein for further processing and travel onward to more permanent destinations. Meanwhile, India said the attacks reinforced the need for the world to stand united against terrorism and those providing sanctuaries to terrorists.
