Afghanistan crisis: Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport after suicide blasts claim at least 100 lives

Turkey said the Taliban have asked it to operate the Kabul airport, however, no decision has been taken yet.

File Photo (Reuters)

New Delhi: As Afghanistan reels from twin blasts at the Kabul airport, at least 100 people have lost their lives and 150 are injured, as per Al Jazeera report. The death toll is expected to be higher as bodies are still being evacuated in the attack claimed by Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K). 

Earlier reports said that at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops were killed in the suicide bombings outside Kabul's international airport on Thursday (August 26). 

As the August 31 deadline nears, many countries have been evacuating their citizens and even Afghan nationals who want to flee the Taliban rule. According to Al Jazeera, evacuation has resumed since the blasts hit Kabul on Thursday. 

The UK on Friday said its evacuation process is in “final hours” in Afghanistan. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News the evacuation process was in its "final hours" after the closure of the main processing center in Kabul at the Baron Hotel near the Hamid Karzai International Airport. Wallace said, "We at 4.30 this morning, UK-time, closed the Baron Hotel, shut the processing center and the gates were closed at Abbey Gate." 

He added that the main processing has been closed and they “have a matter of hours." Wallace mused, "The sad fact is not every single one will get out. The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving."

France's European Affairs minister has said that France will “soon” end its evacuation operation in Kabul. Clement Beaune told French radio Europe 1, “France continues its operation at the moment in order to evacuate as many people as possible.”

Following the suicide bombings, Japan said on Friday the efforts are on to evacuate citizens and local staff who worked for the Japanese embassy and development agencies and they are monitoring the situation closely. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters, “The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but we plan to continue our efforts to accomplish the safe evacuation of Japanese nationals and local staff."

Meanwhile, the Turkey government said that the Taliban have asked it to operate the Kabul airport, however, no decision has been taken yet. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “The Taliban have made a request for us to operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this matter.”

He added, “We will make a decision after the administration (in Afghanistan) is clear."

Erdogan added that the evacuation of Turkish troops from Kabul was underway. 

(With inputs from agencies)