US alert advises citizens not to go to Kabul airport

WASHINGTON: The US embassy in Kabul advised its citizens not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport at this time, according to an embassy security alert issued on Wednesday.

Citizens already at the airport’s Abbey Gate, East Gate, and North Gate were advised to leave immediately, said the security alert.

The alert, posted on the embassy website, gave no reason for why it was issued.

It followed warnings by US President Joe Biden and other administration officials of a threat by Islamic State to evacuation operations as crowds thronged airport gates, desperate to leave following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The alert advised Americans to “be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds.”

The Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara’s military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline, two Turkish officials told Reuters news agency.

The conditional request by the Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S. invasion, leaves Ankara with a difficult decision over whether to accept a hazardous job, one official said.