At least 13 US service members and 90 Afghans were listed among the over 100 killed at the Kabul airport Thursday when two blasts ripped through crowds trying to enter the American-controlled facility, disrupting the final push of the US-led evacuation effort. Thirteen US service members have died as a result of the attack at the Kabul airport Thursday, according to a statement from US Central Command. The total number of US service members injured is now 18, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for CENTCOM. A suicide bomb attack at the airport's Abbey Gate was followed by an assault by gunmen, officials said. Another bomb attack took place nearby, at a hotel outside the airport, officials said. Eighteen US service members were injured, the Pentagon said. The Afghan Health Ministry confirmed the Kabul death toll increased to more than 90 killed and 150 wounded, according to volunteers and medical staff. An official with Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health told CNN Friday that the toll was 90 dead Afghan and more than 150 wounded from the blasts. Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said, "it's a hard day today." He said the attack included two suicide bombers followed by gunmen opening fire. There were at least two explosions near a gate at the Kabul airport today. They came as the US and other countries race to evacuate people ahead of President Biden's Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline. US President Joe Biden revealed Thursday that he has ordered military commanders "to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities." "We will respond with force and precision in our time, in a place we choose in a manner of our choosing," the president said, declining to give specifics on timing. McKenzie said that while "we continue to investigate the perpetrators of today's attack against Kabul airport, we are also focused on other "extremely active threat streams" to the airfield." The general explained that these threats mean they could be "imminent" and "could occur at any moment" and could include rocket attacks, vehicle attacks or a vest-wearing suicide attacker. McKenzie said they are coordinating with the Taliban on security for the airport and that the US mission is continuing despite the attack, and that the US will "go after" the people responsible for the attack. While the "threat from ISIS is extremely real," troops are still assisting with bringing people onto the airfield at Kabul's airport, McKenzie said. "We just brought a number of buses aboard the airfield over the last couple or three hours. We'll continue to process and flow people out. The plan is designed to operate under stress and under attack," he said. Meanwhile, flags across the United States were lowered to half-staff "as a mark of respect" for the victims of the terror attack in Afghanistan, the White House said. During remarks on the attack in Afghanistan Thursday, Biden held a moment of silence "for all those in uniform and out of uniform, military and civilian, of giving the last full measure of devotion." — CNN
