PENTAGON Confirms US Causalities In Kabul Explosion
SEVERAL Persons were killed and injured in a series of explosions on August 26 outside the Baron Hotel near Kabul airport where U.K. personnel & some journalists were staying. Casualties included children and some US soldiers. At least 13 people including children are among those killed, a Taliban official said. Earlier, the United States and allies had urged Afghans to leave the area because of a threat by Islamic State. “We can confirm that explosion at Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate,” John Kirby, said Pentagon Press Secretary. There were at least two explosions near Kabul’s airport amid a huge evacuation effort from Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday, with civilians and U.S. service members among the casualties. One blast occurred near the airport’s Abbey Gate and the other close to the nearby Baron Hotel. Two U.S. officials said at least one of the explosions appeared to be from a suicide bombing.”We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties.” We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.” A U.S. official told Reuters as many as three U.S. service members were among those hurt, and that U.S. casualty numbers were expected to increase, according to initial information. At least one of the U.S. personnel was seriously hurt, an official said. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul confirmed “a large explosion” and said there had been reports of gunfire. President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official. Biden was in a meeting with security officials about the situation in Afghanistan, where the United States is in the final steps of ending its 20-year war when the explosion was first reported. Edited by PKC
