- US President Joe Biden warned that in the next 24 to 36 hours, a terrorist attack is “very likely” at Kabul Airport.
- On Thursday, during the evacuation, more than 100 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack organized by the Islamic State.
- The Islamic State attack forced the U.S. military and the Taliban to agree on a form of cooperation to ensure the safety of the airport, which was unthinkable two weeks ago.
On Sunday, the final stage of the U.S. military’s airlift from Kabul was enveloped in suicide bombing threats. President Joe Biden warned that there is a high possibility of another attack before the evacuation is over.
Since the Taliban regained power two weeks ago, more than 112,000 people have fled Afghanistan through a large-scale airlift led by the United States. Although Western powers have indicated that thousands of people may be left behind, the operation is gradually ending.
On Thursday, when a suicide bomber from the local branch of the Islamic State organization aimed at the US military to prevent large numbers of people from entering the airport, the already chaotic and desperate evacuation became bloody.
More than 100 people were killed in the attack, including 13 American service personnel, who slowed down the airlift before the deadline set by Biden for evacuation ended on Tuesday.
The Pentagon said Saturday’s retaliatory drone strike killed two “senior” Islamic State jihadists in eastern Afghanistan, but Biden warned that the organization would launch more attacks.
Biden said: “The local situation is still extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high.”
“Our commander told me that there is a high probability of an attack in the next 24 to 36 hours.”
The US Embassy in Kabul later issued a warning about credible threats in certain areas of the airport, including the boarding gate.
In recent years, the Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter of the Islamic State has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in these countries.
They massacred civilians in mosques, public squares, schools and even hospitals.
Although both the Islamic State and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamists, they are mortal enemies—everyone claim to be the true standard-bearer of jihad.
The Islamic State attack forced the U.S. military and the Taliban to agree on a form of cooperation to ensure the safety of the airport, which was unthinkable two weeks ago.
On Saturday, Taliban fighters escorted a steady stream of Afghans from the bus to the main passenger terminal and handed them over to the U.S. military for evacuation.
The military can be seen on the civilian side of the airport grounds and outbuildings, while the U.S. Marine Corps peeped at them from the roof of the passenger terminal.
After 20 years of war, the enemies were only 30 meters apart in each other’s field of vision.
Also taking into account the U.S. military is the Taliban’s “Badri” special forces in the U.S. Humvee as a gift to the now conquered Afghan army.
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said on Twitter that the organization’s fighter jets had entered parts of the military side of the airport, but the Pentagon emphasized that the U.S. military retained control of the boarding gate and air transport.
However, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. military has already begun to retreat – but did not say how many are left.
Most of the Western allies who helped the airlift have ended their flights, and some expressed despair that they could not evacuate all those in danger.
The commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces, General Nick Carter, told the BBC that “we failed to bring everyone out”, which was “heartbreaking”.
At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that negotiations with the Taliban have begun to “protect and repatriate” Afghan nationals in danger after Tuesday.
He said France and Britain on Monday will urge the United Nations to work hard to establish a “safe zone” in Kabul to protect humanitarian operations.
“This is very important. This will provide a framework for the UN to act in an emergency,” he said.
The United Nations said it is preparing for the “worst case scenario” of an increase of as many as 500,000 refugees from Afghanistan by the end of 2021.
At the airport, thousands of people surrounded the periphery, hoping to be allowed to pass and be allowed to board the plane.
The Taliban have now blocked the road to the facility, allowing only sanctioned buses to pass.
An Agence France-Presse photographer saw a journalist friend among those evacuated by bus on Saturday. He had worked in the media department of the coalition led by the United States and was thought to be likely to be retaliated by the Taliban.
They gave a brief hug before parting ways.
“Good luck,” they told each other-one stayed and the other was on the way to a new life.
