Fear of IS attack on Kabul airport, US issued warning

Ground Report | New Delhi: Fear of IS attack; The US has issued a warning to its citizens not to approach Kabul airport because they are concerned that a branch of the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan could attack. A security alert issued on Saturday called on US citizens to keep themselves away from 'security threats outside the doors'.

The only person present with the representative of the US government has been asked to travel only. US defense officials say they are monitoring the situation and looking for other avenues. No further details of a possible attack have been shared by IS, nor has the IS group made any public threats of an attack in Kabul.

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The US has issued this advisory on Saturday amid the continuing uproar outside the airport terminal. A week ago, the extremist group Taliban captured the capital Kabul, including the entire country.

During a press conference on Saturday, the US Defense Department said that 17,000 people have been evacuated from the airport so far, including 2,500 American citizens. At present, the control of Kabul Airport is in the hands of American security forces.

Fear of IS attack on Kabul airport

One official said that "a small number" of Americans and Afghans whom the US wants to expel have faced persecution. In some cases, they have been beaten up while coming to the airport. A US Defense Department spokesman later said they had issued instructions to avoid large crowds gathering outside airport doors.

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However, Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said people were "crushed to death" in front of a crowd of thousands, with British troops pulling people in danger from the crowd. He described it as "the worst day ever" and said he believed people were killed on the spot.

At a briefing on Saturday, the US Defense Department said 17,000 people, including about 2,500 US citizens, had been evacuated from the airport. One official said the US wanted to evacuate a "small number" of Americans and Afghans who had faced persecution. In some cases, they were beaten up on their way to the airport.

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