French president Emmanuel Macron has joined a host of world leaders in condemning Thursday's attacks on Kabul's international airport which killed at least 72 civilians and 13 US service members. US president Joe Biden has vowed to 'hunt down' the perpetrators and continue the evacuation of vulnerable people as planned by 31 August.
150 people were also injured when two suicide bombers and a gunman struck one of the main entrances to Kabul’s international airport.
The attacks were claimed by the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group, ISIS-K.
There was another blast in the capital at around midnight.
With 12 American troops killed, it was the worst single-day loss for the Pentagon in Afghanistan since 2011.
President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down those behind the suicide bombings.
"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said in an address from the White House during which he said the evacuations would continue until 31 August.
"We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will continue the evacuation" of vulnerable people, he said.
Working under fire
Like the US, the UK also has troops to evacuate from Afghanistan, along with British civilians and vulnerable Afghans.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced the attack as "barbaric" and paid tribute to the "phenomenal effort" of those involved in the evacuation operation.
He added that Britain would "keep going up until the last moment".
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added that personnel continued to work even "under fire".
"We will not let the cowardly acts of terrorists stop us."
Extremely tense situation
President Emmanuel Macron condemned "with the utmost firmness the terrorist attacks" and pledged to see the evacuations "through to the end".
He offered "his condolences to the families of the American and Afghan victims" and saluted "the heroism of those who are on the ground to carry out the evacuation operations".
France has evacuated some 2,500 people from Kabul so far, Prime Minister Castex said on Thursday. The majority are Afghans.
Visiting Dublin on Thursday, Macron promised France would try to evacuate "several hundred" more Afghans, adding that Paris was doing its utmost to achieve this but could offer no guarantees due to the "extremely tense" security situation at the airport.
La France s’associe à la peine des familles des victimes des attaques terroristes à Kaboul. Ceux qui conduisent les opérations d’évacuation sont des héros. Nous mènerons à leur terme ces opérations et maintiendrons dans la durée notre action pour protéger les Afghans menacés.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2021
European sorrow, outrage
A host of European leaders expressed outrage but also solidarity with the victims.
Among them, Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek condemned a "despicable terrorist attack" and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi "this vile and horrible attack against defenceless people seeking liberty".
Poland's President Andrzej Duda denounced the "act of cowardice" saying "Poland stands with our US and Afghani friends".
Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide tweeted: "Innocent civilians trying to leave the country have become victims of this terrible act of cruelty."
Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde paid tribute to the US service members: "We are grateful for all your efforts in making this historic evacuation operation possible."
Meanwhile NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that its priority remained to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible.
Middle East nations
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry rejected the attacks as "incompatible with all religious principles and moral and human values".
The ministry said it stood "with the Afghan people" and offered "condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the Afghan people".
Turkey's Foreign Ministry deplored "this heinous attack in the strongest terms" and offered "condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded".
Egypt's foreign ministry decried the "gruesome terrorism", while Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned "a heinous terrorist act that contradicts all moral and humanitarian values and principles".
World Health Organization
"Civilians must be protected. @WHO is on the ground in #Afghanistan and ready to support health facilities to treat the wounded," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
(with AFP)
