KABUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two suicide bomb attacks rocked the Kabul airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least 103 people and injuring 158 others, five days before the deadline of a hasty evacuation of U.S. troops from the war-torn country.
The deadly attacks were claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS), a terrorist group that grew in Afghanistan where Washington and its allies waged a 20-year war.
The war has left tens of thousands of civilians dead and displaced millions of others. Observers say the bloody explosions point to a legacy of disaster for the U.S. in Afghanistan.
"BODY AFTER BODY"
"There was just body after body" at an emergency hospital, Afghanistan-based journalist Matthieu Aikins of The New York Times told CNN after the attacks.
Witness Abdul Wakil told Xinhua that the first explosion happened in the middle of a crowd roughly at 6:00 p.m. local time (1330 GMT) at the airport's Abbey Gate where refugees had been held after they passed through the Taliban check points and before they were allowed to enter the airport controled by the U.S. military.
What followed was a number of IS gunmen "who opened fire on civilians and military forces" and another explosion soon after at the adjacent Baron Hotel, according to Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command.
Ambulances, taxis and vehicles arrived near the site shortly after the blast, the witness said. Those injured were soaked in blood and shifted on hand carts and stretchers, as the road leading to the Abbey Gate had been blocked in recent days.
"Those who arrived could not speak, many were terrified, their eyes totally lost in emptiness, their gaze blank. Rarely have we seen such a situation," said Alberto Zanin, medical coordinator at the emergency hospital.
The IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to a statement from the group's Amaq News Agency cited in multiple media reports.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the Taliban "strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at the Kabul airport, which took place in an area where security is in the hands of U.S. forces," and is paying close attention to the security and protection of Afghans.
Afghan civilian deaths have risen to 90, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior Afghan health official. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health previously confirmed the attacks had killed over 60 Afghans and injured 140.
As many as 13 U.S. service members were killed in the attacks, with 18 more injured troops being flown out of Afghanistan, according to the latest update by Bill Urban, public affairs officer at the U.S. Central Command.
U.S. RETRIBUTION
Following the suicide bomb attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden made an appearance at the White House, vowing retribution at a time when the president is already under fire for ordering the evacuation.
"We will respond with force and precision in our time, in a place we choose in a manner of our choosing," Biden said during remarks at the White House, adding that his administration could deploy additional troops to Afghanistan to ensure the continuity of the evacuation.
While Biden has said he would "bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened" during the chaotic withdrawal, the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since 2011 would no doubt mean a "devastating moment" for Biden's presidency.
Republicans in the Congress quickly escalated their criticism of Biden's handling of the ongoing and chaotic evacuation.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Biden in a statement. "Americans' hearts are breaking for our service members and diplomats. They are doing heroic work to rescue American citizens and Afghan partners in the predictably chaotic wake of the President's decision to withdraw," he said.
"Terrible things happen when terrorists are allowed to operate freely. This murderous attack offers the clearest possible reminder that terrorists will not stop fighting the United States just because our politicians grow tired of fighting them," McConnell added.
"Joe Biden has blood on his hands," tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, the no. 3 House Republican. "This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden's weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief."
WORLD CONDEMNATION
The attacks have also drawn a torrent of criticism and condemnation from around the world.
"China is shocked at and strongly condemns the explosions near Kabul airport which caused heavy casualties," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing on Friday.
The explosions show that the security situation in Afghanistan remains complex and grave, he added.
"We hope relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan and ensure the safety of the Afghan people and foreign citizens in the country," Zhao said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with great concern the ongoing situation in Kabul, especially at the airport, his spokesman said at a daily noon briefing.
"He condemns this terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians," the spokesman said, noting that "this incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan."
In a late-night statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India strongly condemned the blasts, saying that there was a need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism.
Addressing the attacks, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, "Australia condemns the evil, the calculated and inhuman attacks that were undertaken in Kabul overnight on the innocent and on the brave."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the "cowardly and inhuman attacks" on Twitter, while stressing that "the international community must work closely together to avoid a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and beyond."
Some have expressed concern that more deadly attacks could follow as Washington continues its chaotic pullout.
The U.S. decision not to extend its deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 has put "all of us in a situation which is no more under control," said French President Emmanuel Macron.
Commander of the U.S. Central Command McKenzie also told reporters during a press conference that U.S. military officials are aware that the threat to U.S. forces posed by the IS "is extremely real," adding that "we believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue."
In a report titled "After Decades of War, ISIS and Al-Qaeda Can Still Wreak Havoc," The New York Times said, "The U.S. and its allies waged war for 20 years to try to defeat terrorists in Afghanistan. A double-suicide bombing demonstrated that they remain a threat." Enditem
