Americans told to flee Kabul airport ‘IMMEDIATELY’ in chilling echo of Kabul bombing amid threat of more attacks
AMERICANS desperately trying to flee Afghanistan were warned to get away from Kabul airport gates "immediately" in an eerie echo of Thursday's suicide bomb attack.
US troops are working under heightened security and threats of another imminent attack after - including
Late on Friday night, the State Department told US citizens to "avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates” because of “security threats".
In an alert, it said that those at "the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate now should leave immediately."
The chilling warning was scarily similar to Thursday's, which read: "Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so.
"US citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.”
Following the deadly suicide blast, the White House and the Pentagon warned there could be more bloodshed ahead of Biden's fast-approaching deadline on Tuesday to end the airlift and withdraw American forces.
"The next few days will be our most dangerous period to date" in the evacuation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
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It comes after thirteen US troops and dozens of Afghans were killed in the blast at Kabul airport on Thursday.
The suicide bomber reportedly hit people standing in a wastewater canal - sending bodies flying into the water.
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It's understood he walked into the middle of families waiting in Kabul before blowing himself up.
People waiting desperately for a space on a flight out of Afghanistan in a bid to escape the Taliban were seen carrying those who had been wounded to ambulances, their clothes covered in blood.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack, sharing a picture online of one of the suicide bombers.
The Pentagon said there was one ISIS suicide bomber, who struck at the Abbey Gate, where desperate Afghans were crowding to try and enter the airport and where US troops were carrying out security checks.
Meanwhile, the against an ISIS-K chief behind the Kabul airport bombing - as a "24/7" hunt for those responsible continues.
Captain Bill Urban of the Central Command said the drone attack took place in the Nangahar province of east Afghanistan - home to most of the 2,000 Islamic State-Khorasan militants that took responsibility for Thursday's atrocity.
"Initial indications are that we killed the target" - a "planner" of the suicide bombing, Cpt Urban said, adding: "We know of no civilian casualties."
It comes after vowed he'd "hunt down" extremists and "make them pay"
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Officials have a range of further retaliatory options for the President and his security teams, on Friday night.
General Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, has vowed to work “24/7” to hunt down militants responsible.
