Pentagon Says There Was One Explosion During Kabul Terror Attacks After Two Were Reported
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The Pentagon has said that reports of a second explosion in Kabul yesterday were inaccurate, confirming that the attack is now believed to have involved only a single suicide bomber.
In an update, US Army Major General Taylor said the Department of Defense wished to ‘correct the record’ on widely circulated reports that a second blast had occurred near the Baron hotel, which are now understood to have been false.
Reports of a second attack following the first explosion outside the airport’s Abbey gate were initially confirmed by Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on Twitter and during a briefing yesterday afternoon.
Gen. Taylor said he was ‘not sure how that report was provided incorrectly’ but added it was ‘not any surprise’ given the ‘confusion’ of a ‘very dynamic situation.’
Taylor also confirmed the news that 13 US soldiers were killed in the attack, with dozens more wounded. ABC reports that at least 170 Afghan civilians died in the bombing, the majority of whom are yet to be identified. Several wounded US troops have been flown from Afghanistan to Germany’s Ramstein airbase for medical care.
Also speaking at a press conference, spokesperson Kirby said there continued to be ‘specific, credible threats’ on the airport, and that the US military was preparing for the likelihood of subsequent attacks.
The news comes as UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed that two British nationals and the child of a British national were killed in yesterday’s attack.
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Topics: News, Afghanistan, Kabul, Now
