Germany, Britain and the US warn of the risk of a terrorist attack on Kabul airport

The German, British and American embassies in Kabul have urged their citizens to leave the Kabul airport entrance immediately due to the risk of terrorist attacks. The evacuation of Western citizens and their colleagues is expected to be completed in five days.

The security situation around Kabul airport has worsened a few days before the deadline set by the Taliban for the withdrawal of American and NATO forces.

The German embassy in Afghanistan warned of the risk of terrorist threats around Kabul airport. The German military also reported on Tuesday, August 24, that a number of ISIS suicide bombers were present in Kabul.

On the evening of Wednesday, August 25, the US Embassy advised its citizens not to go to the entrance gates of Kabul Airport due to security threats and to avoid being in these areas, without specifying the details of the threats.

The US has warned that American citizens currently at the airport's east or north gates should leave the area "immediately".

The British government has also asked its citizens who are near the airport to go to a safe place and await further instructions.

US President Joe Biden has said that the local branch of ISIS is trying to attack Kabul airport almost every day. Biden has also emphasized that ISIS is also an enemy of the Taliban.

US: Taliban have promised to withdraw after August 31

At the same time as these warnings, the time for the complete withdrawal of Western forces from Kabul is approaching. The United States has announced that it has managed to evacuate more than 82,000 people from Afghanistan since the day the Taliban took control of Kabul.

The Taliban have given NATO and US forces until Tuesday, August 31, to leave Afghanistan. The Pentagon has announced that 10,000 troops still remain in Afghanistan.

The US has said it will continue to evacuate its troops until the deadline. But what will happen after August 31st, and will the evacuation mission continue beyond this deadline?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, "There is no deadline for the evacuation of Americans and Afghan citizens who are at risk."

According to the German government, the Taliban have promised that Afghans will be allowed to leave the country after August 31.

After talks with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai, deputy head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, German Ambassador to Afghanistan Markus Potzel announced that the German government wants to continue evacuating German citizens and their local colleagues from the country on civilian flights from Kabul.

Taliban request for help from Türkiye

Türkiye has also begun withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. At the same time, Reuters reported that the Taliban requested Turkish technical assistance at Kabul airport.

Reuters reported, citing two Turkish government officials, that the Taliban have requested technical assistance from Turkey to manage Kabul airport after foreign troops withdraw on August 31. The Taliban have also said that Turkish troops must also leave Afghanistan by a set deadline. Turkish officials have said that they are now faced with a difficult mission.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in response to the latest developments in Afghanistan, said he evaluates the message from the Taliban leaders with "cautious optimism" and that "the Taliban's actions will determine the next course in Afghanistan, not their words."

Erdogan also stressed that Turkey is currently hosting more than five million refugees and can no longer "bear the additional burden of migration from Syria or Afghanistan."

Source: DW