i use the top headlines. i'm breaking news here on the international 40 people are killed, more than a 120 injured in twin explosions outside cobble according to reports, for us. soldiers were among the dead with 3 wounded taliban earlier said an attack on cobble airport, what possible and might be aimed at harming the groups image. the problem is that a huge number of people have gathered near the airports and there was a threat that the single person, one person alone,

can carry out an attack and killed people in order to demonstrate talents, reputation and islamic state affiliate in afghanistan, known as isis k is thought to be behind the twin explosions and cobble caliban condemns the terror attack. and in the wake of the attack in kabul, germany analysis, the loss of its military aircraft has left honest on other nations, including the u. k and france vege to carry on with their evac. i very well welcome to you all of us here at the international in moscow. we continue now with the fluid situation of breaking news from afghanistan and there be now 2 explosions outside the international airport in cobble where, okay, all take evacuation effort was underway. of course the u. s. military pull out

a we also understand now just a moment ago, according to our senior correspondent, but i guess df who is in cobble. he has now told us that he thinks he's heard a 3rd explosion. those details to come in just a moment. now, according to the i've gotten health ministry, at least 40 people killed in a 120 injured in the 1st 2 confirmed explosions. a report say 4 american soldiers are among the dead and 3 are among the injured. now the attacks come just ours. off the western governments had warned of a security threat. so far as we understand there's no b not be in any serious claim of responsibility. the taliban earlier down played terra threat warnings as a provocation. and it's now saying several of its own gods were injured in the bloss, along with women and children. now there are unconfirmed reports that a terrorist group called i says k, which is an afghan affiliate of islam. the state may have been behind the attack early report suggest the explosion was caused by

a suicide bomber and then gunfire was also being heard. now during a recent media conference, a taliban spokesperson warned of a possible attack on the cobble airport. near my building, the problem is that a huge number of people have gathered near the airports and there is a threat that the single person, one person alone can carry out an attack and killed people in order to damage the taliban reputation. this is not a significant, not a big threat. we're monitoring the situation at the airport. tar crossing, locked out to senior correspondent, murdad gas dfi standing by the garage right now in cobble motor. we've been talking to for the past few hours with this breaking news. we understand they were to confirmed explosions just outside the perimeter fence of the cobble international airport. i just got a moment ago. you contacted headquarters here at moscow to say, you think you may have heard another explosion? bigger. there's a, there's

a group of us here. journalists, we, we all heard that we've all heard explosions before and had, was definitely a bloss coming from the direction of the airport. we compared to them all maps, maps and campuses, the no, no, no news yet. what it could be that you may be able to hear sirens now blaring again . vehicles. nato jets. by the way. c says the drone from jet engines overhead is useless. it doesn't. and you can tell the difference between the jets and cargo plays by how high they are, the sound they make those jets words up there just a few hours ago. nevertheless, the situation is still tad's. the americans and others have warned that there is a persisted, ongoing high threat of more terror attacks here in campbell when the airport presents itself as, as the target that many terrorists perhaps would be able to talk. but because the

pressure of bodies is indescribable. the number of be the number of people circling that airport, which is kilometers in kilo, but isn't circumference is astounded. there's no video that shows you just how many people they are there are and they are everywhere. you may have seen that the grizzly footage coming out of the after the aftermath of the 2 blocks that we had earlier, the northern gates of the airport were apparently a suicide bomber designated. he's devised his exclusive, the bus and the car bob in the eastern area of the airport, between the baron hotel, which was used by american and british forces, as well as the diplomat put to events afghans to give out visas for evacuation. the 2nd block, the car bomb allegedly occurred that that hotel is very near another check for just across the road that distance between the hotel and the check was also packed with

africa. we. we expected the worst, you know when we arrived yesterday, but when we drove out of the airport, it struck even us just how many people there were, how desperate they were to get inside, and how heedless they were. of the danger with taliban fighters rigging the perimeter outside of the airport, carelessly shooting in the, in the air to get these people away to warn them away inside the airport. again, he's little shooting. were american troops trying to get people to stop climbing over fences? lose courageous and yet desperate to harm themselves in order to get to the jets and to flee the country. earlier today we spoke to the new information, minutes diminished information of the taliban, his 1st interview, and he told us that they would natal, that there was a threat. they at the todd this morning. they told us it was, it was low, but it was there on specific. they didn't know what it would be. a bomb guided to

the crowd or perhaps someone spraying the crowds. the pressure of people, the press of buddies with, with the gotten fought was a stamp which could have caused even more casualties. as we've heard from our sources. many of the people who died today died not from shrapnel wounds or direct damage to the bomb blast, but again, from the stampede. the good that because that is how tight, how tightly packed the bodies and the people off at the airport. we also hearing that people are still being delivered to the more than to the airport initially we heard about just a few few casualties a dozen. so, but we understood that that the crew quickly ross, given that any explosive device of any yield, no matter how low could have caused substantial great cottage at the airport. but as i say, the situation is developing things are very hectic. judging by the height and

activity of the in the air and they to activity jets coming to support the support the ground forces stationed at the airport. the taliban also blamed this situation . the pandemonium and tale on americans and the allies. they said that it was them in the early days of the evacuation that urged people to come and congregate at the airport to try to get in and to evacuate. so you know there's, there's a blame game going on around here. but the taliban has could have said that it condemns this active tara targeting civilians. and then we'll try to get to the bottom of this once american forces leave home. but as you were saying there, having to confirm bloss to the perimeter fence the carpal app or you and other colleagues and journalists in your area where you are now saying that it's been a possible 3rd blog to we're working as well on this side there. and most going to try and confirm that as well. and what i'd say if it's not what nearly 11 pm

cobbled time where you would check in with you soon again. thanks for that little bit earlier in the program. we did speak to ali has sonny who was in cobb all airport when the 1st blast occurred to dave into the airport of coverage i was, is standing. and if you could get the used to sort of like 5 weeks away, i guess there was like 4 to 5 minutes and they had to run. it was looking look dash the c p will renew, desertion, polo. and the difference of them, the type of the type of food here waiting. we're looking, we're suspicious. they didn't have what they was looking for the airport. they was looking to be used to it. will it 100? when they get back to my line, when they get back to the line, i was with the people like after one or 2 minutes, an explosion happened when they became it was near near the lake 1st been away and

it didn't happen. then a gun 1st of the year. it's the gun for dictum, the same. it's a big guy and it can hit when they get to the line they used to i think the guys that there was behind the use of looking guns. i mean your camera after the use, they call the people that stay away with the people that didn't. they told me they are joking because they did these things. money pants, it was always didn't get serious. and then the used tubing gas doesn't smoke when the people the day, you know, the 267 people, the people who really need to gets dangerous. i saw there was like 5 predicts woman danger. your face was born, think it was laying on the grounds. or let's across state side now enjoy our teeth . john hardy, who's starting by for us in miami, at the moment. john, good to see,

you know it. so what just a 10 past 2 in the afternoon in washington d. c. what, what kind of reaction we're getting right now out of the white house and the similar surrounding area? well, surprising where rory, we're not getting any reaction from the white house. we're waiting for a white house press conference to begin and we know that. 5 president biden has basically been huddled with senior military officials and security officials, ad whitehouse in the situation room. i'll get to that. but you know, you mentioned earlier, and murat as well that at least for us, marines were killed. several others injured were possibly hearing that number could be as high as 10, but i want to be very clear. we don't know that that is not confirmed. those are some of the reports that we're getting right now that are starting to come in. we do know that for us, marines were indeed killed, 3 injured buddy. that number could be higher and certainly could change us. so much of this information remains fluid and developing that said pentagon spokesman john

kirby did tweet a statement a little bit earlier about an hour ago, confirming the death. a of quote unquote u. s. service members. from what kirby called, today's complex attack cobble airport, adding that a number of others are being treated for wounds along with the many afghans who fell victim to the heinous attack. the statement goes on to read that our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and injured . of course, this follows the tweet from earlier today after news of the explosions broke in cobble with cur, kirby confirming the 2 black one at the abbey gate entrance to the airport and another at the nearby barren hotel. the u. s. data, by the way, mark the 1st u. s. military fatality fatalities in afghanistan since february 2020, when to american soldiers were killed and what was called an insider attack by an afghan soldier. as i said earlier, president biden has been huddled in the situation room at the white house all morning meeting with senior us officials, including secretary of defense, lloyd austin, secretary of state antony, blanket,

and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general mark, milly, along with commanders on the ground in afghanistan, who had been updating the president and officials, security officials, the ongoing situation their president biden postpone his meeting this morning with israeli prime minister, natalie bennett. and chancellor merkel has canceled her trip to israel in light of the ongoing situation. cobble french president, i should mention a manual. my crown has said that the french embassy and cobble will be evacuated to the situation and also likewise, british pm. morse. johnson has also been meeting in a crisis, meeting with senior intelligence and security officials in london as well. nato chief install a stone burned condemned me attacking. tweeted just a short time ago. i strongly condemn the heretic terrorist attack outside cobble airport. my thoughts are with those affected and their loved ones. our priority remains to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible. look,

there were certainly warnings that this could happen. the u. s. embassy and cobbled issued a warning to americans late wednesday night to avoid traveling to the airport because of unspecified security threat advising citizens that are still remaining an afghan to stand that the 3 airport gauge to quote unquote leave immediately. that includes the one gate where the one of the blast happened. australia in britain, also issued comparable warnings that can stand was facing a high threat of a terrorist attack. and while officials did not provide details, the biden administration and other western countries have previously ward about isis and particularly isis, k. isis in the correspond, posing a threat to the overall evacuation mission. and at this point, it looks like isis. k is likely the corporate behind today's attack. so the question rory remains. how is it carried out? was it suicide? blasted? the bombers poses civilians among the hundreds,

thousands of people as moran was talking about, desperately trying to get through the airports gate. did a bomber possible use the sewage drainage dish to that runs along the side of the road, leading up and through the abbey gate entrance to the airport. and it's sounding like, based on basically the really graphic video that we're starting to see that possibly, that, that drainage ditch that people are going through and trying to get to marines. that were, that were outside the gate entrance, showing their papers that possibly a bomber used that ditch to detonate explosives. but again, we continue to wait for more details from both the pentagon and the white house, where press briefings are expected to be held at any moment. now, after being delayed several hours, i said earlier, rory, it's certainly possible that president biding, considering the latest news about us casualties will likely speak about the ongoing situation in cobble, not, not confirmed, but it is certainly not out of the question. it's also safe to say this will

undoubtedly have an impact on the u. s. evacuation operation that's going probably halting that operation or certainly living, eliminating its continued progress back to you. john, i wanted to ask you a quick question. i still got you on the line and i'm running a little bit low on time here. joint job. i don't the u. s. president. what is the average us opinion towards him during this withdrawal, enjoying this crisis situation at a couple airport, but you know, some people send a joe biden, he's got cognitive issues that perhaps he's not entirely, they know he's not a 100 percent in charge. we've been seeing basically the democratic leadership in america starting to turn on the u. s. president joe, by what is the average american right now? thing of the u. s. president, in this given situation with the gun crisis. well, his latest poll ratings have dropped down 41 percent 41 percent of approval rating . so that gives you an idea right there. look, there's a lot of people who, who are upset officials both democratic and republicans about this messi. withdraw

that the u. s. that this should have been planned, certainly much better that the intelligence, why was the intelligence lacking? why was this allowed to, to be so muddied such a catastrophic situation? and then again, when we're talking about just these blast where we're looking about what happened today. this was really a, you know, perhaps this isn't the best freezing for freezing, but a ticking time bomb. this was expected. i talked about those, those security threats that were issued last night. so officials were already warning this could certainly happen. so the question is, how did we even get to this point? how did the us get to this point? and now with us casualties, you can bet there's going to be a lot of finger pointing, a lot of blame on the white house on the, on the current administration. lie from me off. he's john hardy. many thanks. we appreciate it. let's tell people into the story. that's ongoing breaking news here at our national jonathan steel international. if has complicated joining us here on

the program this evening. good to see you tonight. thanks for coming on with us. the international airport i was thought to be relatively safe, guarded both by foreign troops and by the taliban. you think today's string of attacks that mean that basically nowhere is safe in cub. all right, now, in fact, you know, safe. i mean, you've got crowds of people massing of the gates and the airport. it's very easy for somebody to infiltrate with the suicide, vest, or bombing some kind. so there is almost inevitable that something just happened. these warnings of the u. s. gave last night saying they had very specific warnings that could be tac may happen, suggest the probably somebody who's either aspire within the ice correson entourage well and gave to the americans tracking kind of friends had actually heard something about a minute. what's about so we've had to confirm blast that around the airport area. we've just spoke with autism or gas via of our senior correspondent of the region. he and other journalists that seem to think that's been

a 3rd blog. you also mentioned new sounds of jets flying go ahead, perhaps us the boarding troops in and around the airport who, who really knows now. but when it, when it comes to the situation at the airport with all these multinational is trying to get out, washington has told americans to avoid the airport now. so there are approximately a 1000 americans still in the afghan capital. what are the choices, where, where can they go? now, if they can't go to the airport and evacuate to their homeland? well, it looks to have to be home and convoy taking them from wherever they stay in cobble . they could congregate in hotels or some other place in cobble and then going to nominate conway to the airport. that would be one way of doing it. not sure whether they could get through the huge crowds massing of the gates taliban. would you let them through? so there are comments and basically have been operating with the american. so maybe that would be one possible way for their school schools. possibly to taking

helicopters from some central point and come across the airport to the apple and across the town where it was taught him to see. but if a different side of a taliban these days, mr. steele, i think they've come out. but basically trying to show a more moderate side of themselves, they talk about giving women the opportunity to get an education, to get a job. and now they've been condemning this blog to the airport, allegedly carried out by this group called isis k. at the taliban saying they won't be americans about a possible attack. coming to the apple. we're seeing a new side of the taliban these days. mr. steele, why do you think that is? well, is it taking? so they're not have to move from being an insurgency to a government. that's a huge shift. typically for people with a little experience with administration of any kind except running insurgency. so this is just part of it and really scary has had flashes when you turn have been in

the past. they don't like each other. the higher k condemned the deal that kind of been made last year with donald trump. demonstration signed an agreement, and they call the trailer bunch of states, you know, who sort of infidels. so it's not surprising in a way that the highest k wanting to make the signals into this. not just the americans that are against the torso, the taliban, whatever, you know, some, some names circulating on line about kindest. on some people saying for example, it took a, it took for american presidents and trillions of dollars to take. i've gone away from the taliban just to give it straight back to the taliban. one of the many reasons joe biden decided to proceed with a troop withdrawal was not to let american soldiers die and foreign wars, and now it's confirmed that us marines were killed in the explosion today. this does this mean that leave or stay the us presence in the country? there is essentially a lose lose situation. but it is, it's a massive defeat for the us in the last few days of the bread and put us in

a terrible position, looking clumsy, hope helpless, hopeless and desperate to get our panicking on us to get out a new job by now and speeds up the ration says deadline of august, the 31st has to be changed to august 28th, 29th. with new reinforce the image of total panic. it seems that you know, the america, with the most powerful military in the world, or certainly light like to say it is, it doesn't seem to do was very well. if you think back over the past 6060 years, korea and vietnam, then of course you go to iraq, afghanistan, syria. why? why is it that the wealth number one policeman that the police force of the wealth goes around with these engagements, these incursions, and yet, at the end of the day, they all seem to go terribly, terribly wrong. well, the us is not very good fighting. insurgency is good and toppling conventional armies, and course to carry the bagdad into 1000 to reach the telephone for television in

november, 2001 in about 3 weeks. that, of course, trying to run country with an insurgency. it's very difficult to come to the bomb, going to fight existence and more civilian casualties, more students into your own occupation if you do that kind of thing. so this never really experienced us. it's hard and fighting, and insurgency and winning, that we understand the us president joe biden any moment now, perhaps in the next half an hour or so, or even sooner. he's going to be coming out with a press conference to addressing the latest crisis and latest attacks happening at the campbell airport when it comes to the situation in afghanistan. now, where does accountability lie? do you think mr. steele, with various people with us, with the british and the other rest and governments that have been running this evacuation. and then of course taliban taliban could have marshall the crowds much better and more efficiently to control people. instead of having them rushing to the bottom, some camping outside the various different gates. so we try to been haven't their

responsibility to because they've got more experience than just sending government or crowd control policing civilized, kind of policing and trying to keep people calm and orderly and q. that's not the warranty that's, that's going on. and they've been exposed as much as the americans. do you think? do you think mr. steele? just my last question for you. i'm running rather low on time. thing with the speed of which the taliban to control about kindest on. and the way it seems to be controlling the situation at the moment you do you think that is actually despite what the western media says you think is a fair amount of support among afghans for the taliban got to do. there's a lot of support, particularly in small towns over there, and i'm trying to really represent this little tradition is patriarchal view of life, which is common throughout the rural box and kinda stone. of course, during my absence in the pasture area is very much support. this kind of philosophy

when it started home goes don't go to school and men run everything. that's what they're doing. it's not so much just as long as traditional western way of life. and they do have support for that reason. jonathan sales international of has commented or joining us live here on on to you. thank you very much. we appreciate your time. the thing. thank you. fidelity in the program we discussed the terror talk outside combo laptop with a number of experts on the region on one could imagine that there would be various groups operating on the ground. the i s ross on the i s k that is said to be responsible we, it obviously to have a responsibility claim they could be people coming back from the middle east, or at least part of whom would be coming back from the middle east after you know, participating in the met him over there and iraq and siri and so on and they would be claiming legitimacy. and for them,

this is an opportunity and the rationale would be those people who are gathered even civilians who are gathered in front of the airport gates are nothing but collaborators and the taliban. they are allowing them to go. so they shouldn't be allowing them to go and basically they, this whole operation would be about telling right wing works 3, missed the elements in the entire granite stand. the taliban are not the people who are supposed to protect us to protect the religion and we are so it's basically a coolant exercise, stealing some of the legitimacy from the town. and if they could kill or injure some of the western soldiers, especially american soldiers, that would be even better. you know, the more the merrier. there is another element as well, which is a bit more strategic or which is that this sort of action would put strain

on the evacuation process. it would force more screening. it would put strain on the supply chain of people entering the airport. and so this could force the united states or push it into a position where it might want to extend that 31st of august deadline, which would put strain you know, between the united states and the town about the relation between the united states and the tolliver so basically all of it is about upsetting the apple cart. and if we think of, you know, terrorists or extremist people then pretty much the same. but if we think about tribal affiliations, then people are different. so this is where are they? those, you know, i asked cape, assuming that they are the ones responsible might be coming from one of the, the criticisms that were undoubtedly you'll be put forward in any future in

investigation or committee. look at this operation will be the inevitability of this is kind of attack that, you know, the united states created the conditions for this very incident in the manner in which this operation unfolded. so yeah, and we need to realize that just because, you know, the one bomb went off. there's real potential for additional attacks isis course on is a very sophisticated terrorist organization. and there are still many, many targets out there. you know, we, we went the way we went into couple and the chaos that was generated, you know, lends itself to this, this kind of attack and, and these targets are still there and the citizens are still crammed in americans and british are still stuck in places outside of the airport,

awaiting ex filtration. so this is a this is a tragedy. i do think we're going to see increased cooperation between the coalition with the telephone and rapidly ex filtrate identified pockets of foreigners. up until now the telephone has been, provide, is, has been creating more obstacles than, than, than, than facilitation. i think the child on once the americans out now and they will do everything in their power now that is attacked is taken place to help the coalition get its identified citizens out of cobol. i think that will be one thing that comes out of this. no, because the child by and understands it, the longer these, these pockets of americans and british and foreigners existing couple of the greater attack from isis. and it makes the terrible look bad. they're supposed to be in gendering competence among the afghan people. and indeed of the coalition

that they are in control. the security situation in football, in a check like this, only underscores that nobody's in control is security situation. and for days that had been warnings of an imminent terror talk outside. cobble therefore with multiple european leaders. now, readjusting their plans in the wake of today's blasts, it comes on the 31st of august deadline, fast approaches past which no western forces ought to remain in capital for moral this and i'll join live by all europe correspondent, peter oliver, and r u. k. correspondent, isa ali both joining us live on the program. both of you. good evening. peter will start with you. have we heard anything concrete yet from the decision makers in europe? capital well, not just in year from the us as well on tony are good. seattle has just recently has said that he will be convening a meeting of the un.