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Due to the threat of attacks by the Islamic State (ISKP) in Khorasan Province, the branch of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom urged people to leave the international airport in Kabul.
The warning on Thursday came as Western troops were eager to evacuate as many of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans before the August 31 withdrawal deadline.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning, advising U.S. citizens to avoid going to the airport and stating that those already at the boarding gate should leave immediately. It cited unspecified “security threats.”
The British Foreign Office issued a similar warning, telling people in the airport area to “move to a safe place” and added that “the threat of terrorist attacks is persistent and highly threatening.”
The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urged Australians and Afghans holding Australian visas to leave the area and warned that the airport has a “very high threat of terrorist attacks.”
Since the Taliban occupied the Afghan capital on August 15, desperate crowds seeking to escape Taliban rule have tried to enter Kabul Airport. Since the Taliban occupation, the United States and its allies have transported more than 88,000 foreigners and Afghans out of the city’s airport, one of the largest air evacuations in history.
According to the US military, planes now take off every 39 minutes.
“The countdown has begun. American and foreign troops can only withdraw before Tuesday, and their withdrawal means the end of the evacuation flight,” Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis reported at Kabul Airport. She said: “Now, outside the airport, people are eager to see if they can board these last flights. This has caused panic.”
“We know that the U.S. and the Taliban have an agreement. The Taliban only allows people with verified foreign passports, visas and documents to pass here.”
She said those who are allowed to leave will be arranged on designated buses, and the rest will be pushed back.
“At the same time, they are trying to control the crowd and prevent people from entering the area so that these buses can pass. They do this by shooting in the air, using high-pressure water cannons, and beating people.”
“Everyone is risking their lives”
The Taliban have promised to provide security outside the airport, but said that foreign troops must withdraw before the end of this month. They encouraged Afghans to stay and said that once commercial flights resume after the departure of foreign troops, those who are allowed to leave will still be allowed to leave.
As the crowd continued to gather outside the airport, security officials said they were increasingly worried about the possibility of an attack by ISKP, which security officials viewed the organization as a competitor to the Afghan Taliban.
Ahmadullah Rafikzai, an Afghan official working at the Civil Aviation Administration of Kabul Airport, told Reuters: “Suicide bombers are very easy to attack overcrowded corridors, and warnings have been issued repeatedly.”
“But people don’t want to move, they are determined to leave the country, they are not even afraid of death, everyone is risking their lives.”
The White House stated that US President Joe Biden was briefed on the threat of the ISKP organization and the evacuation contingency plan.
“ISIS-K is a mortal enemy of the Taliban, and they have a history of fighting each other,” Biden said on Sunday, using a different name for ISKP.
“But every day we have troops stationed at the airport. These troops and innocent civilians at the airport are at risk of ISIS-K attacks.”
Outside the Kabul airport, a former Afghan soldier told Al Jazeera that he did not have the proper documents, but he still wanted to be evacuated to the United States.
“I don’t have any documents here, because many people who take evacuation flights to the United States are civilians,” Zyrah Gul said. “So I thought, if civilians go, and I serve in the army, I should also be eligible to go.”
At the same time, Zakirah Ahmadi (Zakirah Ahmadi) stated that although she holds a valid visa to go to Turkey, she still cannot enter the airport. “I have been close to the gate three times, but everyone is scared because of gunfire and shouting,” she said. “Because I am a woman, I don’t have the courage to push them away. I will try to get out. Even if I get shot, I will continue to work hard to enter the airport.”
Many people in Afghanistan fear that the Taliban may return to their brutal rule, which ended in 2001, marked by public executions and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Women are also prohibited from going to school or working.
On September 11, 2001, within a few weeks after Al Qaeda planned to attack the United States from Afghan territory, US-backed forces overthrew the Taliban. However, because the US-backed Afghan government collapsed after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, the organization regained the country with a lightning attack earlier this month.
Although the Taliban stated that they would respect human rights and would not allow “terrorists” to operate in the country, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told broadcaster NBC News that “there is no evidence” that the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was involved. During the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.
“Even after 20 years of war, there is no evidence. We have no evidence that he was involved…There is no reason for this war,” he said.
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