Explosion reported at Kabul Airport amid “very high threat” of terror attack

The Pentagon confirmed the news on Thursday.

An explosion has taken place at the eastern gate outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul with gunfire and a number of casualties also being recorded so far, according to local media reports. Pentagon Press secretary, John Kirby, confirmed the explosion outside Kabul airport on Twitter on Thursday. "We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport," he penned. "Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can." CNN also revealed that a number of injuries to Afghan citizens had been reported in the suspected suicide attack. It is unclear as of yet if any foreign nationals have been harmed in the explosion. It comes as people in Afghanistan have been warned to avoid Kabul Airport amid a "very high threat" of a terror attack in the region. Western nations warned their citizens to immediately leave the area on Thursday morning as thousands of people have continued to flock to the airport over recent weeks seeking a way out of the country, with 90,000 being evacuated so far.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the threat from a terror group called "Isis-K" at the airport was “real, acute” and “persistent”.

US President Joe Biden is set to end the evacuations next Tuesday and withdraw US troops, meaning many people have been rushing to find a way out as the Taliban has said they will not extend the deadline. The US government and other states have now called for citizens and Afghans to avoid the airport, calling on people to leave "by other means" if at all possible. "Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately," the US State Department said. Meanwhile, Australia's department of foreign affairs said that there was an "ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attack". "Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you're in the area of the airport, move to a safe location and await further advice." Britain also asked its citizens to avoid the airport, saying: "If you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately. Commercial flights have mostly been suspended, stranding Afghans and other foreign nationals in the country as evacuations continue. The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over last Monday and has since taken control of the presidential palace, with the elected president having fled the country. Afghans now suddenly face the prospect of complete domination by the Taliban again, after the group - in just a matter of days - took the rest of the country in its grip. The Islamist group was able to seize control after most foreign troops pulled out. With fears the Taliban could reimpose the brutal regime they enforced prior to the war in 2001, Afghans and foreigners alike have been searching for a way out of the country.