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The British minister warned that there was a “very reliable” threat of a “very deadly” terrorist attack on Kabul Airport within hours.
British military minister James Heappey said Thursday that there was a “very credible report” of “imminent” and “serious” threats from the ISIS terrorist group to the airport.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning Wednesday night urging citizens to avoid traveling to the airport, saying that those already at the gate should leave immediately because of an unspecified “security threat.” Stated.
The UK and Australia have also urged citizens and visa holders not to travel to the airport. At the airport, thousands are waiting to evacuate abroad before the August 31 deadline.
The British government now believes that there is probably a “very imminent” risk of a “very deadly” attack in Kabul, Heappey told “BBC Breakfast.”
“As a result, we had to change our travel advice to actually find a safe place away from the airport and advise people to wait for further instructions so that they wouldn’t come to the airport.” He said.
He told LBC Radio that the potential for an attack could come within “a few hours”, adding that the ISIS terrorist group, also known as Daesh, “is guilty of all sorts of evil.”
“The opportunism of wanting to target a major international humanitarian mission is quite sad, but it’s sadly true to form a barbaric organization like Daesh,” he said.
US President Joe Biden has rejected requests from Britain and other allies to extend the deadline on August 31, saying he hopes the US military will leave on August 31. ..
ISIS-K, or Islamic State Korasan, is an ISIS affiliate of Afghanistan and is made up of disgruntled Taliban members who have a more extreme view of Islam.
The group carried out a series of brutal attacks, including the 2020 attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul, killing babies and women.
The ISIS-K is said to be the Taliban’s enemy, but it is possible that the Taliban’s release of prisoners across the country boosted its rank.
Heapey has recorded a total of 1,988 people taking off from Kabul in eight Royal Air Force flights within the last 24 hours, since the Taliban began empowering 12,279 people.
He said Britain had 11 more flights from Kabul on Thursday, but did not say whether it would be the end of the operation.
PA, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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