At Least 169 Afghans Were Killed In The Kabul Airport Attack
The massive evacuation effort in Afghanistan continues, just hours after a series of attacks at the Kabul airport left 13 U.S. troops dead. Two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press on Friday that 169 Afghans had died, but a final count might take more time.
The crowds of people at the airport hoping to board a flight out of the country "appeared as large as ever" Friday morning, according to the AP.
People continued to amass at the perimeter around the airport in Kabul despite the ongoing threat posed by ISIS-K, which took responsibility for Thursday's attacks, Charlotte Bellis, a journalist with Al Jazeera, told NPR's Morning Edition.
"Those that are around the perimeter say, 'We know there could be attacks today also but still come because it's a risk we're willing to take,' " she said.
The White House said about 12,500 people were evacuated from Kabul in the 24 hours ending at 3 a.m. ET on Friday, bringing the total number of people evacuated since Aug. 14 to about 105,000.
Bellis also visited a Kabul hospital Friday morning, reporting that the scene was "heartbreaking" and that people were in "shock" after the attacks.
This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops. [Copyright 2021 NPR]
