Islamic State claims deadly bomb attack at Kabul airport – SITE monitoring

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide blast at the airport in Kabul on Thursday during the US-led evacuation from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the SITE monitoring agency said.

The bomber “was able today to penetrate all the security fortifications” and get within “five meters (16 feet)” of US forces before detonating his explosives belt, the jihadist group’s propaganda arm Amaq said, according to a translation by SITE.

The statement only appeared to mention one bomber and one blast. At least two bombs are believed to have detonated during Thursday’s attack at the airport.

Another huge blast heard in Kabul

A huge blast rocked Kabul early Friday, hours after a deadly twin bomb attack at the airport that was claimed by Islamic State.

The new blast was heard by AFP staff. It was not immediately clear what caused it, and in the absence of any administration since the Taliban takeover on August 15, further details were not immediately available.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will address the nation Thursday at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) on the suicide bombing attack against the US evacuation operation from Kabul’s airport, the White House said.

Biden will make “remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the US service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded,” the White House said.