Sharjah 24 – AFP: The US military confirmed a large explosion Thursday outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, where the United States and other countries have been evacuating tens of thousands of people.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said earlier "We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can." Later the Pentagon confirmed casualties in the bombing.
Unconfirmed reports put the explosion at the airport's main Abbey Gate, where thousands of people have massed over the past 12 days hoping to be evacuated after the Taliban seized power.
Other reports located it close to the Baron Hotel near the gate, which Western nations had used to stage some evacuations.
US and allied officials have said they had intelligence that suicide bombers tied to the Afghan arm of the Daesh group -- the Khorasan -- were threatening to attack the airport ahead of Washington's August 31 deadline to finalise the evacuation.
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