(NEW YORK) — Iconic cosmetics brand Fashion Fair has announced it will be making a long-awaited relaunch in September.
Initially founded in 1973 by American businesswoman Eunice Johnson with people of color top of mind, the company went on to become a pioneering makeup brand — producing everything from inclusive foundations to rich color cosmetics for deeper skin tones.
One of Fashion Fair’s original models, Pat Cleveland, appeared in a short clip revealing the brand would be returning next month.
Koai Martin proudly rocks natural hair in new headshots and shared on LinkedIn. Her post continues to inspire many others.
The updated version of Fashion Fair Cosmetics will include modernized vegan makeup as well as skin care.
Key products include lipstick, stick foundation, powder foundation, priming serum, loose powder and a pressed powder. The formulations include a mashup of clean, naturally derived ingredients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, turmeric, bamboo powder and green tea extract as well.
Prices start at $26.
Along with the relaunch of the brand, Fashion Fair also recently named actress Kiki Layne, known for her roles in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Native Son,” as the beauty label’s brand ambassador as well as legendary makeup artist Sam Fine, who has glammed up everyone from Queen Latifah to model Iman, as its global makeup ambassador.
Layne posted the news on Instagram, saying how “incredibly excited” she is, alongside a striking Fashion Fair campaign photo of herself wearing bronze-toned glowing makeup.
Fashion Fair will launch exclusively with Sephora online on Sept. 1 and in select stores on Sept. 9.
Through the years, Fashion Fair said it has contributed more than $55 million back to the Black community and plans to motivate and support the next generation of minority entrepreneurs as well as give toward projects important to the community.
“I feel like Fashion Fair is putting her crown back on,” Fashion Fair CEO Desiree Rogers told Vogue.
She continued, “The queen may have taken a little break, but she’s putting on her gown and her high heels, and sitting back in that throne. So watch us reign.”
(WASHINGTON) — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the lower chamber back to Washington early from its scheduled recess to address the escalating situation in Afghanistan, which culminated in a deadly bombing at the Kabul airport Thursday as American citizens and allies attempt to flee the country.
The House convened for two days earlier this week to address unrelated matters, but is not expected to return to Washington until Sept. 20, long after the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
McCarthy said Pelosi must bring the chamber back swiftly, in part to hold a vote on legislation proposed by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher.
“It is time for Congress to act quickly to save lives. Speaker Pelosi must bring Congress back into session before August 31 so that we can be briefed thoroughly and comprehensively by the Biden Administration and pass Representative Gallagher’s legislation prohibiting the withdrawal of our troops until every American is out of Afghanistan,” McCarthy said in a statement.
It’s unlikely, however, Pelosi will call the House back and President Joe Biden has said he intends to stick to the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
In a statement offering thoughts and prayers, Pelosi said Congress will continue to be briefed, but did not address McCarthy’s demand.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted in response to McCarthy and blasted him for “empty stunts and distractions.”
“Right now, American heroes are risking & giving their lives to execute an extraordinarily dangerous evacuation, & the Minority Leader wants to defund the mission & tie the Commander in Chief’s hands in the middle of the most dangerous days of the operation,” Hammill tweeted.
“What’s not going to help evacuate American citizens is more empty stunts & distraction from the Minority Leader who sat idly by as Pres. Trump proudly negotiated with the Taliban. The Biden Administration has repeatedly briefed the Congress & providing frequent updates each day,” he added.
Pelosi was briefed by phone on the situation in Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, her office told ABC News on Thursday.
McCarthy’s call came ahead of Pentagon officials confirming that 12 U.S. service members were killed by two suicide bombers believed to have been ISIS fighters in Kabul on Thursday.
Though Republicans have for weeks ridiculed Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Democrats in both chambers have been slower to comment on the unfolding mass evacuation at the Kabul airpot.
Following news of the deadly blast in Kabul, however, Democrats condemned the incident, branding it a terrorist attack against U.S. troops.
“I strongly condemn this act of terrorism and it must be clear to the world that the terrorists who perpetrated this will be sought and brought to justice,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was briefed by Austin Thursday, said in a statement.
“One thing is clear: We can’t trust the Taliban with Americans’ security,” Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez said in a statement. “This is is a full-fledged humanitarian crisis, and the U.S. government personnel, already working under extreme circumstances, must secure the airport and complete the massive evacuation of Americans citizens and vulnerable Afghans desperately trying to leave the country.”
Democrats are still not directly criticizing Biden, and many — offering thoughts and prayers — said they’re in touch with the state department as they monitor the situation on the ground in Kabul.
But some Democrats are beginning to break with the administration, suggesting that they would support an extension of the withdrawal deadline.
“Bringing the thousands of Americans and allies in Afghanistan to safety must remain our top priority, and pushing the evacuation deadline is a necessary and important step,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., tweeted.
Republicans have pointed the finger at Biden for weeks as the situation has grown more dire. Moments after the blast Thursday, Republicans sharpened their criticism.
”Joe Biden has blood on his hands,” tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican. “This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden’s weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.”
Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain tweeted: “Americans are dying at the hands of President Biden’s catastrophic withdrawal from #Afghanistan.”
And Georgia Rep. Jody Hice, a loyalist of former President Donald Trump, tweeted that Biden needs to “RESIGN NOW!!.”
Outrage toward Biden is not limited to Republicans in the House. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has for weeks been outspoken in opposition to removal of troops in the region. In remarks Thursday that took place before the blast in Kabul, McConnell called the situation on the ground in Afghanistan an “unmitigated disaster.”
“These guys couldn’t organize a two-car funeral,” McConnell said of the administration’s withdrawal efforts. “And it’s tragic to see those young people clinging to the sides of the planes and falling to their death and how anxious they were not to be left behind.”
“What we are seeing is the result of a poor plan poorly executed,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement. “The Biden administration must use every resource it has available to get Americans and our allies to safety.”
Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called Thursday’s attack “horrifying” and warned that it could make rescue of Americans still stranded in Afghanistan “even more impossible.”
(WASHINGTON) — Seven U.S. Capitol Police officers are suing former President Donald Trump, his campaign, his associate Roger Stone, and members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, alleging that “their unlawful efforts culminated in the Jan. 6 mass attack on the United States Capitol.”
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in federal court, alleges that the defendants violated the federal KKK Act and the D.C. Bias Related Crimes Act, both of which protect victims of prejudice against political violence and intimidation.
“Trump and other Defendants propagated false claims of election fraud, encouraged the use of force, intimidation, and threats, and incited violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants’ unlawful efforts culminated in the January 6 mass attack on the United States Capitol and the brutal, physical assault of hundreds of law enforcement officers. Many Defendants in this case planned, aided, and actively participated in that attack. All Defendants are responsible for it.”
The suit alleges that because Trump and his associates targeted majority-minority communities in their allegations of election fraud, the attack on the Capitol drew white supremacists who hurled racial epithets at officers.
“Many Black law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol were assaulted, threatened, spat on, and subjected to racial slurs,” says the suit. “In a striking example, one attacker marched through the Capitol’s halls displaying an unfurled Confederate flag, a symbol of white supremacy and racism. Across the Capitol grounds, attackers brazenly displayed other symbols of white supremacy, flashing white power hand symbols and displaying anti-Semitic imagery and slogans on their clothes.”
Representatives for Trump, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
An attorney for Roger Stone told ABC News that Stone had not yet been served with the suit and was unaware of the allegations.
“Mr. Stone has been clear, he had nothing to do with the events of Jan. 6,” Stone’s attorney said.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump, in addressing supporters prior to the attack, knew that the crowd would react with violence, and that he praised the attackers.
“Trump knew the crowd would, and did, understand his speech and those of other speakers to be a provocative call to action, and as instructions [said] to proceed directly to the United States Capitol and use force, intimidation, and threats to stop the count of electoral votes,” the lawsuit says. “Knowing all this, and in a calculated attempt to provide himself with cover, Trump said, ‘Everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol Building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.'”
The officers said they sustained physical injuries, and an African American officer identified as Officer Fortune said he was called the N-word by numerous Capitol rioters.
“He had to force his way through the attackers and injured officers to join his unit,” the suit says. “When he arrived at the Capitol, he saw that it was like a war zone, with chemical fog in the air, tables flipped, statues defaced, feces on the walls, and blood and broken glass on the floors. For the next several hours, while inhaling a smog of chemical pollutants and sustaining burns from those chemicals, Officer Fortune helped clear the Capitol of remaining attackers, search for any hidden improvised explosive devices, and carry injured officers to a triage center for medical treatment.”
The officers are seeking unspecified damages.
“We joined the Capitol Police to uphold the law and protect the Capitol community,” the seven officers said in a statement released by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which brought the suit on behalf of the officers. “On Jan. 6 we tried to stop people from breaking the law and destroying our democracy. Since then our jobs and those of our colleagues have become infinitely more dangerous. We want to do what we can to make sure the people who did this are held accountable and that no one can do this again.”
-ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for two explosions that erupted near the Kabul airport on Thursday and killed at least 12 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans.
U.S. officials had warned of an ISIS attack over the past week in wake of the sweeping Taliban takeover. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie of the U.S. Central Command said Thursday that the attackers were two ISIS suicide bombers.
Experts say the group, dubbed the “mortal adversary” of the Taliban, pose the biggest threat to America’s presence in the country.
The U.S. is now racing against time to withdraw by President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline.
Biden warned Tuesday, “Every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.”
What is ISIS-K?
ISIS-Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, is an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS), which established a caliphate in Iraq and Syria that was later destroyed by the American forces. ISIS has geographical branches in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia and ISIS-K is its affiliate based in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.
Elizabeth Neumann, an ABC contributor and former U.S. homeland security official, said the group emerged about six years ago.
ISIS-K is the “mortal adversary” of the Taliban, Colin Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst with security consulting firm Soufan Group, told ABC News.
“It really tracked quite closely with the the evolution of Al-Qaeda and developed a similar kind of decentralized model really in response to U.S. counterterrorism pressure,” he said.
The group has an estimated 1,500 to 2,200 fighters, consisting of Arabs, Middle Easterners, Pakistanis and other South Asians, Clarke said.
He described them as a “transnational group” as opposed to the Taliban, which is predominantly comprised of Pashtuns, according to the Council of Foreign Relations.
There were 77 ISIS-K claimed or attributed attacks from January to April 2021 — three times as many ISIS-K attacks in Afghanistan than that same period last year, according to a June United Nations report. Last year the group attacked a maternity ward in Kabul on May 12 and Kabul University on Nov. 2.
ISIS-K “continues to pose a threat to both the country and the wider region” and is focused on recruitment, with its core base in small areas of the Kunar and Nangarhar Provinces, the UN report said.
Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the group stands against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda as well as the U.S.
“Their objective is to wantonly attack the U.S. because they see the U.S. as their main enemy,” he said. “Also, I think it’s designed to embarrass the Taliban as well. ISIS attempted to move in and establish a base in Afghanistan to compete with the Taliban. Their ideologies are pretty much the same. It’s more of a power struggle than an ideological or religious one.”
Neumann described the group as much more violent than the Taliban.
“When I think of ISIS, I think extremely brutal. It’s not that the Taliban has a good record of not being brutal, but it’s a slightly different type of brutality,” Neumann said. “[ISIS] sounds as if they’re trying to stand up a government and run a country.”
What is their agenda?
The group has an objective to carve out some piece of territory that they can rule, Clarke said, citing ISIS’s motto to “remain and expand.”
“If they were ever to reach the point where they felt like they were governing a sufficient amount of territory, they may very well attempt to declare a caliphate again,” he said.
He went on, “The Taliban is not at risk of being overtaken by ISIS-K, they just don’t have the numbers. ISIS-K is playing more of a spoiler role, where they’ll be able to kind of launch attacks, keep the Taliban off balance. But I don’t ever expect them to get to the point where they’re threatening to take over Afghanistan in the same way the Taliban did.”
Hoffman, with the Council on Foreign Relations, said that any attacks from ISIS-K shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Over the past year, they’ve spread to an additional seven provinces. So clearly, ISIS-K has become more active and threatening in recent months,” Hoffman said. “The current upheaval and chaos in Afghanistan presents them with a myriad of new opportunities to draw attention to themselves and their cause and basically punish all their enemies — the U.S. but also the Taliban and Al-Qaeda as well.”
What threat do they pose to the U.S.?
With the U.S. leaving Afghanistan, experts say future attacks by ISIS-K are likely to occur.
“There’s nothing they’d love more than to plot an attack on the U.S.,” Clarke said.
An attack on U.S. soil isn’t likely for the “foreseeable future” but may be in the “long term,” according to Hoffman.
As for Afghanistan, with the Taliban takeover and rising terror threats like ISIS-K, its future is murky.
“Afghanistan overall is being re-submerged into a very, very dark period,” Hoffman said.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Thursday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 3:52 pm
‘Working assumption’ that bomber detonated when being checked by Americans: Pentagon
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said at a Pentagon briefing that it was his “working assumption” that a suicide bomber was going through the Abbey Gate — being searched and checked by U.S. service members — when he detonated his vest.
He said the military thought there was just one suicide bomber at the Abbey Gate and that they didn’t know if it was a man or woman. He said he didn’t know the size of the bomb.
They also didn’t “know much” about the second bomb, which went off in the vicinity of the Baron Hotel.
No bomber actually got onto airport grounds, McKenzie said.
“I know this: he did not get inside — he did not get on the installation,” McKenzie said of the Abbey Gate bomber. “It was at the interface point where they try to come in where this attack occurred. And we just don’t know more right now. We’re gathering that information. As you will understand, we’re investigating that.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Aug 26, 3:51 pm
ISIS-K claims responsibility for attacks
The Islamic State has claimed credit for the attacks near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, confirming a suicide bombing.
According to a translation from SITE intelligence group, the Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency issued a report on the attack and provided a photo of the bomber.
Their message said the Khorasan Province (ISKP) fighter overcame all security fortifications and reached a distance of “no more than five meters from the American forces.” The fighter detonated his explosive belt, killing 60 and wounding over 100 others, the militant group wrote, citing “military sources,” according to SITE.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Aug 26, 3:35 pm
‘Extremely real’ threat of more attacks
Asked about the ongoing threat of ISIS, as officials believed the two suicide bombers in Kabul on Thursday are affiliated with the terror group, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon it’s one that is “extremely real.”
“We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue,” he said via a videoconference.
He said the U.S. is doing everything it can to prepare for those attacks including reaching out to the Taliban, “who are actually providing the outer security cordon around the airfield, to make sure they know what we expect them to do to protect us.”
McKenzie reiterated that despite the attack, evacuations have continued on the airfield.
“The plan is designed to operate while under stress and under attack, and we will continue to do that,” he said.
The highest-ranking commander in the Middle East was also asked if the U.S. will go after the attackers.
“Yes, if we can find who’s associated with this, we will go after them,” he said. “We’ve been clear all along that we’re going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan. And we’re working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who is associated with this cowardly attack, and we’re prepared to take action against them.”
Aug 26, 3:24 pm
Evacuations to continue despite Kabul airport attack: Pentagon
Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command and highest-ranking military official in the Middle East, said evacuations will continue “at best speed” despite the attack in Kabul that has resulted in 27 American casualties, including 12 killed and 15 wounded.
“Let me be clear: While we’re saddened by the life of loss, both U.S. and Afghan, we’ll continue to execute the mission,” McKenzie said via a videoconference. “Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens, third-country nationals, Special Immigrant Visa holders, U.S. Embassy staff and Afghans at risk.”
“As of today, we have approximately 5,000 evacuees on a ramp at the Kabul airport”
He said as of Thursday, there are 5,000 evacuees at the airport in Kabul awaiting airlift.
“We believe that there are about a thousand, probably a little more than a thousand American citizens left in Afghanistan at this point,” he said.
Aug 26, 3:15 pm
12 US service members killed, 15 others wounded: Pentagon
Twelve U.S. service members were killed by two suicide bombers believed to have been ISIS fighters in Kabul on Thursday, U.S. officials confirmed at a Pentagon briefing.
“It’s a hard day today,” said Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command and the highest-ranking official in the Middle East, speaking via videoconference.
“As you know, two suicide bombers assessed to have been ISIS fighters detonated in the vicinity of the Abbey Gate and the Baron Hotel. It was followed by a number of ISIS gunmen who opened fire,” he said.
“We know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack and 15 more have been injured. A number of Afghan civilians were injured,” he said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby in an earlier statement called the situation a “complex attack” with one explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport causing “a number of US and civilian casualties” and another explosion near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from the Abbey Gate.
Aug 26, 2:06 pm
US Marines stationed close to crowds at site of Kabul airport attack
As the Pentagon confirmed that “a number of U.S. service members” were killed in the “complex attack” in Kabul, Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell recalled reporting from the Abbey Gate on Wednesday right alongside U.S. Marines working to control the crowds desperate to get inside.
“This almost defies words,” Pannell said of the attack. “It’s bewildering. It’s horrifying. It was already a very distressing scene down at the airport yesterday.”
Pannell described seeing thousands of people knee-dip in sewage water outside the airport. He said the evacuation operation at the Abbey Gate “relied on the bravery of individuals, of servicemen, women, going to the very front lines, going out, grabbing people who were eligible and pulling them in.”
“Anyone who got into that crowd and detonated that device was sure to carry out a mass casualty event,” he added.
Pannell pushed back against a statement from the Taliban suggesting U.S. forces securing the area were to blame for the attack.
“That’s totally untrue,” he said. “This bomb happened right outside the gate. The onus also depends on the Taliban for not controlling the crowds, not allowing people through, for creating this climate of fear and dread.”
Aug 26, 1:18 pm
Pentagon confirms ‘number of’ US service members killed
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has confirmed in a statement that “a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport.”
“A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack,” he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to loved ones and teammates of those killed and injured,” Kirby’s statement read.
An American service member hasn’t been killed in Afghanistan since Feb. 2020.
Aug 26, 12:50 pm
Taliban condemn attack in statement
A Taliban spokesman has released a statement condemning the attack in Kabul and saying that 13 people were killed and 52 were wounded, citing reports.
“I confirm two explosions in the assembly of people in the area managed by US forces have occurred. Initial reports say, 13 persons have been killed and 52 wounded. We strongly condemn this gruesome incident and will take every step to bring the culprits to justice,” the Taliban spokesperson said.
While it’s still unclear who is responsible for the attack, President Biden has warned for days of a security threat from ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan whom he called “the sworn enemy of the Taliban.”
Aug 26, 12:20 pm
Biden, top officials monitor Kabul attack in Situation Room
President Biden monitored the Kabul attack in the White House Situation Room with his national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
Biden was already scheduled to meet with his national security team at 9:15 a.m. for an update on Afghanistan before the Pentagon confirmed an explosion outside the airport in Kabul in a tweet, prompting the delay of a 10:30 a.m. Pentagon briefing.
Vice President Kamala Harris, traveling from Vietnam back to Washington, joined the national security team meeting via video teleconference.
Biden’s 11:30 a.m. bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also has been postponed. A virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of governors who have volunteered to temporarily house or help vulnerable Afghans at 3 p.m. has been canceled.
Although it’s not clear who carried out the attack, it comes two days after Biden, in remarks from the White House on Tuesday, warned of threats from a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan.
“Every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians,” he said.
The Pentagon on Thursday called the situation a “complex attack” with one explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport causing “a number of US and civilian casualties” and another explosion near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from the Abbey Gate.
At least 60 have been wounded in the attack, including at least three service members, according to Kabul Emergency Hospital and a U.S. official.
Aug 26, 11:46 am
Images show wounded, devastation after explosions near Kabul airport
Some of the first photos of the scene of the explosions in Kabul — one which occurred at or near the Baron Hotel and the other at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport — show bloody and wounded people evacuating the area.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there were “a number of US and Afghan civilian casualties.”
Kabul Emergency Hospital told ABC News in a statement, “Around 60 patients wounded in airport attack have arrived at our EMERGENCY NGO’s Kabul Surgical Centre so far.”
Smoke leftover from the blasts and gunfire was seen rising over the airport on Thursday.
Aug 26, 11:06 am
‘Complex attack,’ second explosion at hotel near airport: Pentagon
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate, after earlier confirming an explosion outside the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” he said in a tweet.
The Turkish Defense Ministry, which has had forces helping to secure the airport, also tweeted that two explosions had occurred.
“There were two explosions outside of Kabul Airport. There is no damage or casualty in our unit,” it said, translated from Turkish.
Aug 26, 10:44 am
At least 3 US service members wounded in airport attack: Official
A U.S. official said that at least three U.S. military service members have been wounded in the explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. The official did not know the extent of the injuries. U.S. troops have been stationed near large crowds trying to get inside.
The development comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent another security alert to Americans, warning, “There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire.”
“U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time. U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The Pentagon has delayed a briefing that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said the explosion at the airport coming days before U.S. forces are set to leave the country has made for, “truly, a nightmare scenario.”
Raddatz, who is in contact with Afghans on the ground, said the explosion “devastates” the evacuation process and described the tone in the country as people try to get out in the coming days as “absolute panic.”
“Now today, they’re facing, either a stampede, the Taliban or ISIS bombers — and that really is what it comes down to for all Afghans,” she said.
Aug 26, 10:15 am
Before explosion, acting US ambassador to Afghanistan spoke on GMA about ‘credible’ security threat
Speaking before the explosion outside the Kabul airport, acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, on the ground in Kabul, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that the threat that prompted the U.S. Embassy to warn citizens to leave the airport on Wednesday was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.”
“Being part of these huge crowds that remain around the gates and entrances to the airport is dangerous,” he said, adding the U.S. is working on “other ways on an individualized basis to assist them in getting to the airport in a safe and secure manner.”
“We will do as much as we possibly can, to get as many out as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can, while there is sufficient security that’s provided for us, and no less important, for the travelers themselves, provided by U.S. military forces,” Wilson said.
While the U.S. works to get as many Afghan allies and third-country nationals out of Afghanistan ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline, Wilson acknowledged that the “primary focus” is to evacuate American citizens and said some hopeful evacuees would be left behind.
“There undoubtedly will be people in this country who would like to get out who will be unable to,” he said, adding that the U.S. is talking with the Taliban on how to continue safe evacuations when troops are gone.
Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul
A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.
A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.
The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.
Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.
U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.
Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.
Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns
U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.
“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”
As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.
Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately
The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.
In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”
(NEW YORK) — At least two children have died in hot cars this week as a heat wave blasted the U.S.
On Tuesday afternoon, a 4-year-old boy died in East Manchester Township, Pennsylvania, the York County Coroner’s Office said.
After the family wasn’t able to find the boy around the home, they discovered him dead outside in their closed, parked car, the coroner’s office said.
An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday morning.
On Sunday afternoon in Cullman County, Alabama, a 3-year-old boy was found in a car and then taken to a hospital where he died, Cullman County coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick told ABC News on Thursday. The boy’s cause of death has not yet been determined, the coroner said.
The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide specifics, only confirming there was an incident involving a small child on Sunday that appeared to be a tragic accident. A sheriff’s office spokesman said Thursday the investigation remains in the early stages and said no arrests have been made.
If autopsies confirm these deaths to be due to the heat, they would be the 16th and 17th hot-car deaths this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.
“Hot car deaths continue to take place because nobody believes this could happen to them,” KidsAndCars.org president Janette Fennell said in a statement. “The unfortunate reality is that this has happened to even the most loving, responsible, and attentive parents.”
A record 54 children died in hot cars in 2018, followed by 53 fatalities in 2019, according to KidsAndCars.org. Last year, 25 children died in hot cars, a drop that KidsAndCars.org director Amber Rollins attributed to the pandemic.
The professor at the Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics School at Cornell University had been looking for a kidney transplant for two years, testing every friend and family in hopes of finding a potential donor.
With no one meeting the requirements, Ehrenberg, who was living with end-stage renal disease, began dialysis to give him more time with his family. As a result, his life was tethered to the hospital because a dialysis machine and supplies would fill up his entire car for a two-day supply. He was also not allowed to travel during a five-year period because if a call came in saying that a kidney was available, he would have to go to the hospital almost immediately.
“I was so fatigued and had so little energy,” said Ehrenberg. “We were so worried.”
Ehrenberg resigned himself to waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor, knowing that those kidneys tend to wear out sooner and are more rare.
A kidney from a live donor can start functioning immediately rather than taking a few days to kick in as with a deceased donor, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. What’s more, relatives’ kidneys tend to have less risk of rejection and a potential donor can be tested ahead of time, making the process more convenient, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Along with finding a donor, Ehrenberg, 75, worried about contracting a disease from an unknown deceased donor and not being healthy enough for a transplant, along with any complications from cancer to heart conditions that could disqualify him from being a recipient.
Finding a hero and finding hope
Five years after being placed on the transplant list, Ehrenberg got a call from the nurse that a live donor had come forward. The donor asked to remain anonymous, but Ehrenberg begged the hospital to tell the donor he wanted to know who they were.
The nurse passed along Ehrenberg’s request. That’s when his co-worker of seven years, Adam Seth Litwin, an associate professor at the school, sent an email revealing his life-saving gift.
Litwin said he got serious about donating after his mother-in-law died.
“She and I were very close and she was actually the same exact age as Ron,” explained Litwin. “She was not a candidate for a transplant, but it brought home to me how little time she was able to spend with her grandchildren, my children, and that there is something I could do for someone else that would kind of prevent that from happening again.”
“I’m kind of grumpy and curmudgeon on the outside, so this is definitely not consistent with whatever images that I have created to those around me,” he added.
Initially, Litwin was not allowed to donate his kidney, but he spent two years secretly improving his health. He improved his diet, stabilized his blood sugar and lost around 25 pounds. He kept it off for a year and got approved to donate on April 20, which happens to be Ehrenberg’s birthday.
Ehrenberg said that Litwin initially wanted to remain an anonymous donor, but Ehrenberg convinced his friend to come forward to help potentially save more lives. Litwin said that he donated his kidney not just to give more years to his friend, but also to teach a lesson of love to his two children.
“I keep joking that I don’t want people to think just because I did this that I’m not still a miserable b——,” said Litwin.
While Litwin may not think of himself as a particularly generous person, Ehrenberg disagreed.
“Adam was the real hero,” said Ehrenberg. “I am deeply indebted to Adam and I will spend the rest of my life trying to think about how I can repay him.”
“We hope we could encourage more people to be donors either alive or deceased kidney donors,” said Ehrenberg.
Ehrenberg said he plans to spend his new retirement making up for years lost to illness. Litwin plans to spend more time with his family. Both are excited to see Ehrenberg spend many more years with his grandchildren.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 632,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 60.5% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 2:41 pm
Texas sending 2,500 medical workers to support overwhelmed hospitals
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is sending 2,500 medical workers to support the state’s overwhelmed health care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.
This follows the 5,600 medical workers, mostly nurses and respiratory therapists, previously dispatched to the state’s hospitals.
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is also offering more medical equipment including ventilators and hospital beds, the governor said.
Texas had 13,928 COVID-19 patients in hospitals as of Wednesday evening, nearing the state’s record of 14,218 patients in January.
Aug 26, 2:17 pm
Delta employee vaccinations see massive jump
The number of Delta employees going to the airline’s on-site clinic for first vaccine doses has increased more than fivefold Thursday, just 24 hours after the company said it was raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees.
Delta said Wednesday health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees would go up by $200 per month beginning Nov. 1 to cover COVID-19 costs like potential hospitalization, which the airline says has cost it $40,000 per person on average.
Unvaccinated employees will also have to wear masks indoors and be required to take a weekly COVID test beginning Sept. 12.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Aug 26, 11:24 am
New mask, vaccine mandates announced in Illinois
In Illinois, masks will be required indoors regardless of vaccination status beginning on Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday.
The governor also said that vaccines will be required for higher education personnel and students, health care workers and P-12 teachers and staff. The unvaccinated must get tested at least once per week.
“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the governor said, adding that 95% of deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated.
Illinois is now seeing 220 patients admitted to hospitals each day, the highest since May.
Aug 26, 7:45 am
Florida sees record 26,203 new cases in a day
Florida reported 26,203 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, setting a new record for the state’s single-day case counts.
Florida’s previous all-time high was 25,957 new cases recorded on Aug. 12, according to data collected by the CDC.
The seven-day moving average of new cases per day in the Sunshine State now stands at 21,604. In total, Florida has reported more than 3.1 million confirmed cases statewide and over 42,000 deaths.
Aug 26, 5:17 am
Japan suspends 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination concern
Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reported contamination, as the country grapples with surging infections.
Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of distributing the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a press release Thursday that it has received reports of foreign substances in some unused vials at multiple inoculation sites. Although some doses might have been administered, Takeda said there have been no reports of safety concerns tied to the affected vials so far.
After consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Wealth, Takeda said it decided as a safety precaution to stop using doses from three separate lots, manufactured in the same production line as the contaminated vials. The company said it has requested Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation into the issue.
For doses from non-suspended lots, Takeda urged people to check the vials for discolouration, foreign substances or other abnormalities before continuing to use. Meanwhile, the Japanese health ministry said it will work with Takeda to supply alternative doses in an effort to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination progress.
Moderna told ABC News that it has put the 1.63 million doses on hold in Japan after being notified that some of the vials may have been contaminated. One of the three lots received “several complaints of particulate matter” in its vials, the American drugmaker said, while the two other adjacent lots were put on hold out of “an abundance of caution” and for continued assurance of quality.
According to Moderna, the manufacturing issue may have come from one of the lines used at its contract manufacturing site in Spain. The Massachusetts-based company said it is looking into the contamination reports and “proactively communicating with Japan’s health authorities and its partners as the investigation proceeds.” Moderna added that it remains “committed to working transparently and expeditiously” with its Japanese distribution partner and with regulators to address any potential concerns. No safety or efficacy concerns have been identified so far, the company said.
Moderna noted that the pause in Japan does not impact doses distributed in the United States, or put the American supply at risk in any way.
Aug 25, 8:50 pm
Pediatrician emphasizes importance of getting vaccine during pregnancy
Columbia University pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while nursing.
Recent health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that three out of four pregnant women in the U.S. are unvaccinated, and the numbers are lower for Black pregnant women, with nine out of 10 unvaccinated.
Sanchez, who is eight months pregnant and vaccinated, told ABC News that expecting mothers are more vulnerable to diseases and the current data shows the vaccines are safe for them.
“We now know from over close to 40,000 women that there is no increased risk of miscarriage of early delivery of your baby, which are the things that worry a lot of pregnant women,” she said.
Sanchez said she did not hesitate to get her shots once she became eligible.
“I really, really hope that pregnant women out there hear this call and go ahead and get themselves this vaccine and protect themselves, their baby and their pregnancy,” she said.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
High school football dies from COVID
A high school football player in Louisiana who contracted the coronavirus died Wednesday, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.
Patrick Sanders, 14, was a freshman at Baker High School.
Baker, Louisiana Mayor Darnell Waites told the station that the teen’s death highlighted the importance of vaccinations.
“If we want to save lives, we have to make the choice to save lives,” Waites told the station. “This wasn’t his fault.”
The rest of the football team is currently quarantining, WBRZ reported.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
Texas hospital numbers near record high
The Texas Health Department reported Wednesday that 13,928 COVID-19 patients are currently in Texas Hospitals.
This is close to the record 14,218 patients recorded during the January peak.
There are 306 available ICU beds in the state, according to the health department.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Thursday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 11:46 am
Images show wounded, devastation after explosions near Kabul airport
Some of the first photos of the scene of the explosions in Kabul — one which occurred at or near the Baron Hotel and the other at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport — show bloody and wounded people evacuating the area.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there were “a number of US and Afghan civilian casualties.”
Kabul Emergency Hospital told ABC News in a statement, “Around 60 patients wounded in airport attack have arrived at our EMERGENCY NGO’s Kabul Surgical Centre so far.”
Smoke leftover from the blasts and gunfire was seen rising over the airport on Thursday.
Aug 26, 11:06 am
‘Complex attack,’ second explosion at hotel near airport: Pentagon
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate, after earlier confirming an explosion outside the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” he said in a tweet.
The Turkish Defense Ministry, which has had forces helping to secure the airport, also tweeted that two explosions had occurred.
“There were two explosions outside of Kabul Airport. There is no damage or casualty in our unit,” it said, translated from Turkish.
Aug 26, 10:44 am
At least 3 US service members wounded in airport attack: Official
A U.S. official said that at least three U.S. military service members have been wounded in the explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. The official did not know the extent of the injuries. U.S. troops have been stationed near large crowds trying to get inside.
The development comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent another security alert to Americans, warning, “There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire.”
“U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time. U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The Pentagon has delayed a briefing that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said the explosion at the airport coming days before U.S. forces are set to leave the country has made for, “truly, a nightmare scenario.”
Raddatz, who is in contact with Afghans on the ground, said the explosion “devastates” the evacuation process and described the tone in the country as people try to get out in the coming days as “absolute panic.”
“Now today, they’re facing, either a stampede, the Taliban or ISIS bombers — and that really is what it comes down to for all Afghans,” she said.
Aug 26, 10:15 am
Before explosion, acting US ambassador to Afghanistan spoke on GMA about ‘credible’ security threat
Speaking before the explosion outside the Kabul airport, acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, on the ground in Kabul, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that the threat that prompted the U.S. Embassy to warn citizens to leave the airport on Wednesday was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.”
“Being part of these huge crowds that remain around the gates and entrances to the airport is dangerous,” he said, adding the U.S. is working on “other ways on an individualized basis to assist them in getting to the airport in a safe and secure manner.”
“We will do as much as we possibly can, to get as many out as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can, while there is sufficient security that’s provided for us, and no less important, for the travelers themselves, provided by U.S. military forces,” Wilson said.
While the U.S. works to get as many Afghan allies and third-country nationals out of Afghanistan ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline, Wilson acknowledged that the “primary focus” is to evacuate American citizens and said some hopeful evacuees would be left behind.
“There undoubtedly will be people in this country who would like to get out who will be unable to,” he said, adding that the U.S. is talking with the Taliban on how to continue safe evacuations when troops are gone.
Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul
A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.
A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.
The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.
Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.
U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.
Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.
Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns
U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.
“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”
As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.
Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately
The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.
In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”
Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Wednesday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul
A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.
A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.
The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.
Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.
U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.
Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.
Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns
U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.
“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”
As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.
Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately
The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.
In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”
