U.S. forces keep up Kabul airlift under threat of more attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan — American forces moving nether heightened information and threats of different onslaught pressed up with the evacuation from Kabul’s airdrome Friday, the time aft a deadly termination bombing wrote a devastating closing section connected the United States’ withdrawal from its warfare successful Afghanistan.

The decease toll roseate to 169 Afghans, a fig that could summation arsenic authorities analyse fragmented remains, and 13 U.S. work members, making Thursday’s 1 of the deadliest attacks since U.S. led forces entered Afghanistan astir 20 years ago.

The White House and the Pentagon warned determination could beryllium much bloodshed up of President Joe Biden’s fast-approaching deadline Tuesday to extremity the airlift and retreat American forces. The adjacent fewer days “will beryllium our astir unsafe play to date” successful the evacuation, White House property caput Jen Psaki said.

Thursday’s bombing — blamed connected Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State group, an force of some the Taliban and the West — marked 1 of the astir lethal panic attacks the state has seen. The U.S. said it was the deadliest time for American forces successful Afghanistan since 2011.

Around the world, recently arriving Afghan evacuees, galore clutching babies and bare handfuls of belongings successful integrative bags, stepped disconnected evacuation flights successful the United States, successful Albania, successful Belgium and beyond. In Kabul connected Friday, Afghan families looked for loved ones among bodies, placed on a infirmary sidewalk for identification, of bombing victims who died pleading for a spot connected the U.S.-run airlifts.

As the telephone to supplication echoed Friday done the metropolis on with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowds thronging the airdrome successful anticipation of escaping Taliban regularisation appeared arsenic ample arsenic ever, contempt the scenes of victims lying intimately packed unneurotic successful the aftermath of the bombing.

Afghans, American citizens and different foreigners were each acutely alert the model was closing to get retired via the airlift.

Jamshad went to the airdrome with his woman and 3 tiny children. He clutched an invitation to a Western state helium didn’t privation to identify.

“After the detonation I decided I would try. Because I americium acrophobic present determination volition beryllium much attacks, and I deliberation present I person to leave,” said Jamshad, who similar galore Afghans uses lone 1 name.

The Pentagon said Friday that determination was conscionable 1 termination bomber — astatine the airdrome gross — not two, arsenic U.S. officials initially said.

The officials who gave the Afghan decease toll were not authorized to speech to the media and spoke connected information of anonymity.

The Afghan victims included a quality bureau laminitis on with a fig of impoverished Afghans who had gone to the airdrome successful hopes of realizing a amended life.

Details connected the American dormant — 11 Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army worker — besides began to emerge, up of the Pentagon’s merchandise of their names. They included a young Marine and expectant begetter from Wyoming who was connected his archetypal circuit of work successful Afghanistan.

British officials said 2 of the country’s citizens and the kid of different Briton besides were among those killed erstwhile the weaponry exploded successful the crowd.

On the greeting aft the attack, the Taliban utilized a pickup motortruck afloat of fighters and 3 captured Humvees to acceptable up a obstruction 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the airport, holding the crowds farther backmost from the U.S. troops astatine the gates than before.

U.S. subject officials said that immoderate gates were closed and different information measures enactment successful place. They said determination were tighter restrictions astatine Taliban checkpoints and less radical astir the gates. The subject said it had besides asked the Taliban to adjacent definite roads due to the fact that of the anticipation of termination bombers successful vehicles.

The Pentagon noted the airdrome already had defenses against rocket attacks and said the U.S. would support up manned and unmanned flights implicit the airdrome for surveillance and protection, including the usage of AC-130 gunships.

U.S. officials said evacuees with due credentials inactive were being allowed done the gates. Inside, astir 5,400 evacuees awaited flights.

In Washington, U.S. commanders briefed Biden connected processing plans to onslaught backmost astatine the Islamic State and marque bully connected the president’s vow to the attackers to “hunt you down and marque you pay.”

Biden pronounced the U.S. effort to evacuate Americans, Afghan allies and others astir astatine hazard from the Taliban a “worthy mission.”

“And we volition implicit the mission,” helium said.

The U.N. Security Council called the targeting of fleeing civilians and those trying to assistance them “especially abhorrent.”

The Taliban person wrested backmost power of Afghanistan 2 decades aft they were ousted successful a U.S.-led penetration pursuing the 9/11 attacks. Their instrumentality to powerfulness has terrified galore Afghans, who person rushed to fly the state up of the American withdrawal.

More than 100,000 radical person been safely evacuated done the Kabul airport, according to the U.S., but thousands much are struggling to permission successful 1 of history’s biggest airlifts.

The White House said Friday greeting that 8,500 evacuees had been flown retired aboard U.S. subject craft successful the erstwhile 24 hours, on with astir 4,000 radical connected conjugation flights. That was astir the aforesaid full arsenic the time earlier the attack.

But the chances of helping those hoping to articulation the evacuation are fading fast. More European allies and different nations were acceptable to extremity their airlifts Friday, successful portion to springiness the U.S. clip to wrapper up its ain operations.

The Taliban person said they volition let Afghans to permission via commercialized flights aft the U.S. withdrawal, but it is unclear which airlines would instrumentality to an airdrome controlled by the militants.

Untold numbers of Afghans, particularly ones who had worked with the U.S. and different Western countries, are present successful hiding, fearing retaliation contempt the group’s connection of afloat amnesty.

The caller rulers person sought to task an representation of moderation successful caller weeks — a crisp opposition to the harsh regularisation they imposed from 1996 to 2001, erstwhile they forbade girls to get an education, banned tv and euphony and held nationalist executions.

Akhgar reported from Istanbul, Gannon from Islamabad and Anna from Nairobi, Kenya. Darlene Superville successful Washington and Rahim Faiez successful Turkey contributed on with different Associated Press writers astir the world.