A U.S. official says the complex
attack outside Kabul airport is “definitely believed” to have been carried out
by the Islamic State group.

The
official says members of the U.S. military were wounded in Thursday’s attack,
which involved two suicide bombers and gunmen.

The
official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The
Islamic State group is more radical than the Taliban and has carried out a wave
of attacks targeting civilians. 

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The
official says evacuation flights have continued to take off from Kabul airport
in the waning days of an airlift to help people flee the Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan.

Twin suicide bombings struck Thursday outside Kabul’s
airport, where large crowds of people trying to flee Afghanistan have massed,
killing at least 13 people, Russian officials said.

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Western
nations had warned earlier in the day of a possible attack at the airport in
the waning days of a massive airlift. Suspicion for any attack targeting the
crowds would likely fall on the Islamic State group and not the Taliban, who
have been deployed at the airport’s gates trying to control the mass of people.

Russia’s
Foreign Ministry gave the first official casualty count, saying 13 people had
died and 15 were wounded.

U.S.
officials said that American personnel were wounded in the blast, without
elaborating. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing
operations.

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Pentagon
spokesman John Kirby also confirmed the blasts, saying one near an airport
entrance was a “complex attack” and another was a short distance away by a
hotel.

One
explosion went off in a crowd of people waiting to enter the airport, according
to Adam Khan, an Afghan waiting nearby. He said several people appeared to have
been killed or wounded, including some who lost body parts.

Also read | US Embassy urges citizens to leave Kabul airport amid security threat

Several
countries urged people to avoid the airport earlier in the day, with one saying
there was a threat of a suicide bombing. But just days — or even hours for some
nations — before the evacuation effort ends, few appeared to heed the call.

Over
the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing
images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover,
as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants’
brutal rule.