US, UK, Australia warn of ‘terror’ threat at Afghanistan airport

Western countries tell crowds outside Kabul airport to leave area amid ‘high threat’ of an attack by ISIL-offshoot.

The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have urged people to move away from the international airport in Kabul due to the threat of an attack by the ISIL-offshoot in Afghanistan, the Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP). The warnings on Thursday came as Western troops hurried to evacuate as many of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans as possible before a withdrawal deadline on August 31. The US Embassy in Kabul issued an alert advising US citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately. It cited unspecified “security threats”.