KABUL, Afghanistan - Two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowded crowds near Kabul International Airport on Thursday, in the strained days of a major airport that drew thousands of people seeking refuge from the Taliban's invasion of Afghanistan. At least 13 people were killed and 15 were injured, Russian officials said.
A U.S. official We said the complex attack was "strongly believed" to have been carried out by a Muslim group, with Afghan members who had grown up as non-conservative members of the Taliban with extremist views on Islam.
At least 13 people were killed and 15 were injured, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which provided the first official injuries. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also confirmed the blast, saying one was near the airport door and the other was closer to the hotel.
An American official said members of the U.S. military were among those wounded. The official chose anonymity to discuss ongoing activities.
Although the area was hit, the official said evacuation flights continued from Kabul airport, which Western governments had previously warned were targeted.
Another explosion erupted in a crowd of people waiting to enter the airport, according to Adam Khan, an Afghan waiting nearby. He said many people appeared to have been killed or injured, including others who had lost limbs.
Several countries have urged people to avoid the airport earlier in the day, with one saying there was a threat of suicide bombings. But just a few days - or even hours from other nations - before the evacuation effort ended, few seemed to heed the call.
Last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the fiery images of the end of America's longest-running civil war and the capture of the Taliban, as a plane after take off carrying those afraid of returning to a brutal military regime.
Already, some countries have completed their evacuation and are beginning to withdraw their troops and officers, marking the beginning of the end of one of the largest aircraft in history. The Taliban have vowed not to attack Western troops during the evacuation, but have insisted that foreign troops must leave the U.S. deadline set for August 31.