WATCH | Explosion outside Kabul airport, casualties unclear, Pentagon says

26 August 2021 - 16:23 By Lisa Lambert, Idrees Ali and Trevor Hunnicutt
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

There has been an explosion outside the Kabul airport, the Pentagon press secretary said on Thursday, adding that it was unclear whether there were casualties amid the large evacuation effort in Afghanistan's capital.

US President Joe Biden has been 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, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Afghanistan has captured the world’s attention since the Taliban blitzed through the country, reclaiming cities and towns as they moved until they eventually reclaimed the capital Kabul. We take a look at a visual timeline of the events.

The United States has been racing to airlift its citizens and some Afghan citizens from Kabul before its military is set to fully withdraw from Afghanistan on August 31.

Reuters


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now