Survivors Describe Terror Scene: "Bodies Scattered Everywhere"
Occurred at Kabul Airport Abbey Gate and Nearby Baron Hotel
At Least 90 Dead, 150 Injured... 13 U.S. Soldiers Killed
IS Claims Responsibility for Attack
Taliban Condemns Terrorist Attack
"It was a catastrophe like Doomsday. Bodies were scattered everywhere."
On the 26th (local time), one of the survivors of the suicide bombing near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, described the chaotic scene as being like "Doomsday." The survivor, who identified himself as a British military interpreter stationed in Afghanistan, told The Guardian, "I was heading to the airport with my wife and our three-month-old daughter to escape Kabul when we encountered the terrorist attack."
Another survivor, who said he held a U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), described in an interview with another foreign media outlet, "At the moment of the explosion, I thought my eardrums had burst and I had lost my hearing," adding, "Bodies and body parts were flying through the air like plastic bags caught in a tornado."
A survivor who was within about 10 meters of the blast site told The New York Times (NYT), "Immediately after the explosion, we fell to the ground and foreign soldiers began firing their guns," and described the chaotic scene: "People were densely packed and pushing each other. I was trapped among the crowd."
The bombing on that day occurred at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and at the Baron Hotel about 250 meters away. The Baron Hotel was a lodging place where the U.S. and Western countries housed those waiting to evacuate Kabul. This suggests that the main purpose of the attack was to kill U.S. and allied evacuees.
Immediately after the attack, the international terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility through its own media outlet, Amaq News Agency. IS stated, "An operative carrying explosives breached all security facilities and approached within 5 meters of U.S. forces before detonating the explosives strapped to his belt," and claimed "more than 160 casualties."
U.S. CBS News, citing Afghan health officials, reported, "At least 90 people have died and 150 have been injured in the Kabul airport suicide bombing." It remains unclear whether this figure includes U.S. military casualties.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that 13 U.S. service members were killed and 18 wounded in the attack. As bodies continue to be recovered during the cleanup at the scene, the death toll is expected to rise.
With IS claiming responsibility, it is presumed that the local IS affiliate in Afghanistan, 'IS Khorasan (IS-K),' led the attack.
According to the Associated Press, IS-K was formed in 2015 and previously carried out a suicide bombing at a wedding in western Kabul in August 2019, killing 63 people. In November last year, it also led a shooting attack at Kabul University, killing more than 20 people.
The Taliban also strongly condemned the attack in a statement shortly after it occurred. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's chief spokesman, said at a press conference, "We condemn the terrorist attack that took place in the U.S.-controlled area of Kabul airport," adding, "Some Taliban fighters outside the airport were also injured. We will track down those responsible and ensure they face justice."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
