Daily US Times: The United States has warned its citizens to avoid Kabul International Airport amid concerns about the potential for attacks by Islamic State’s (IS) Afghanistan branch.
On Saturday, a security alert told US citizens to stay away due to possible “security threats outside the gates”.
The notice said only those individually told by a US government representative to make the journey should do so.
US defence officials said they were looking at alternative routes and monitoring developments.
No further details were given about the potential threat of an attack by the IS, and the group has not publicly threatened to carry out attacks in Afghanistan’s capital city.
The US advice to its citizens came amid continued chaos outside the Kabul airport terminal and reports of people being crushed as thousands of them attempt to escape from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
Taliban swept across the country and captured the capital, Kabul, a week ago.
Crowds have been gathering in the airport daily, hoping to be allowed on to a flight. The airport is the only option to exit the country. Those who work with the United States and its allies, as well as who have campaigned on issues like human rights, fear they may face reprisals by the militant group if they are unable to leave.
What exactly has been happening at the airport gates on Saturday still not clear.
The US Department of Defense said in a briefing on Saturday that 17,000 people had been flown out of the airport, including some 2,500 US citizens.
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