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US, allies ask people to leave Kabul airport area over Daesh threat

Western nations warn their citizens to immediately leave area around Kabul airport over a "terrorist" threat, as thousands of people try to reach a dwindling number of evacuation flights.

AFP

Western officials say Taliban has made assurances that some evacuations would be permitted after next week's US withdrawal deadline.

US and several European nations have offered stark warnings about the waning days of a massive airlift to bring people out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, with a British and a NATO official saying an "imminent attack" could target Kabul's international airport.

Taliban has promised to provide security outside Kabul airport, but intelligence reports of an imminent threat from Deash terrorist organisation cannot be ignored, a NATO country diplomat in the Afghan capital said on Thursday.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, was referring to warnings by Australia and the United States to its citizens to vacate the area outside the airport immediately because of the reports.

Thousands of people desperate to flee the country are gathered at the gates of the airport.

"Western forces, under no circumstances, want to be in a position to launch an offensive or a defensive attack against anyone in Afghanistan," the diplomat added.

"Our mandate is to ensure evacuations end on August 31."

Nearly 90,000 Afghans and foreigners have fled Afghanistan via the US-led airlift since the Taliban movement took control of the country on August 15.

'Be aware of your surroundings'

The US embassy in Kabul advised US citizens not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport at this time, according to an embassy security alert.

Citizens already at the airport's Abbey Gate, East Gate, and North Gate were advised to leave immediately, said the security alert.

The alert, posted on the embassy website, gave no reason for why it was issued.

It followed warnings by US President Joe Biden and other administration officials of a threat by Daesh to evacuation operations as crowds thronged airport gates, desperate to leave following the collapse of US-backed government and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The alert advised Americans to "be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds."

London issued a similar warning, adding "if you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately".

There is "very, very credible" intelligence that Daesh militants are planning an imminent attack on those gathering at Kabul airport in an attempt to flee Afghanistan, British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said on Thursday.

The Taliban, whose fighters are guarding the perimeter outside the airport, are enemies of the Afghan affiliate of Daesh.

"Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group," said a Taliban official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Australia says 'high threat of a terrorist attack'

There is a high threat of a terrorist attack near the airport in Kabul, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said on Thursday, as Canberra urged its citizens and those with a visa for Australia to leave the area.

Australia has been evacuating its citizens and visa holders for more than a week from Kabul airport, where Canberra had urged people to travel in order to be ready for transport.

Late on Wednesday, Australia changed its advice to those in the area, which Payne said was based on heightened concerns of an attack.

"There is an ongoing and very high threat of a terrorist attack," Payne told reporters in Canberra.

The warning heightens the risk that scores of Afghans holding visas for Australia could be left behind as Canberra readies to end its evacuation programme.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison , who has previously said Australia will unlikely be able to evacuate everyone, declined to comment on whether Australia would continue flights up to the August 31 deadline the Taliban insists must be adhered to.

Morrison said Australia has now evacuated about 4,000 people out of Afghanistan after another 1,200 people were flown out overnight.

Many of these remain in the United Arab Emirates, Morrison said, while 639 have been evacuated to Australia.

Australia was part of a NATO-led international force that battled the Taliban and trained Afghan security forces in the years after the insurgents were ousted in 2001.

More than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan and 41 were killed there.

Dutch to halt Kabul evacuation flights

The Dutch government said it would stop evacuation flights from Kabul on Thursday after being told by US forces to leave the Afghan capital's airport.

"The Netherlands has been informed today by the United States that it has to leave and will in all probability run the last flights later today," the Dutch foreign and defence ministers said in a letter to parliament.

Belgium, France end evacuations

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the country ended its Red Kite evacuation operations after US sources informed the government of an imminent suicide bomb attack around Kabul airport.

De Croo told a press conference a little over 1,400 people were evacuated by Belgium from Kabul, with the last flight arriving at Islamabad last night.

"Wednesday during the day the situation has deteriorated significantly, we got information from American and other sources that there was an imminent suicide bomb attack in the area of the airport and access through the gates was becoming more and more difficult and at some point became impossible," De Croo said.

France will no longer be able to evacuate people from Afghanistan from Friday evening onwards, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told RTL radio.

"We are going to continue until tomorrow evening," said Castex on Thursday.

Denmark said it is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul after evacuating some 90 people, including the last Danish soldiers and diplomats, on its final flight out of Afghanistan.

SOURCE: Reuters