US Issues Ban on Afghan Kabul Airport Travel for Citizens Due to Possible IS Threats

John Kirby, U.S. Department of Defense Spokesperson [Photo by AFP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The United States has urged its citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to Kabul airport due to potential security threats. According to the Associated Press (AP), citing a senior U.S. official, the threat is believed to come from the armed group Islamic State (IS), which may target Americans in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan issued a statement on the 21st (local time), advising American citizens, "Unless you have received individual instructions from authorities, avoid traveling to the (Kabul) airport and stay away from airport entrances." The embassy cited potential security threats and added, "We will contact U.S. citizens if there are changes in the security situation." However, it did not specify the exact nature of the threats.

Nevertheless, AP reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the threat is due to the possibility of IS targeting Americans in Afghanistan. Although officials have not provided detailed explanations about the IS threat, AP noted that they described it as serious.

The U.S. evacuation operation for its citizens appears to be facing additional difficulties. The U.S. is deploying military aircraft to evacuate Americans and Afghan residents who have cooperated with the U.S. from Afghanistan.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden convened his foreign and security team at the White House to discuss counterterrorism operations, including against IS's Afghan branch 'IS Khorasan,' and the Afghanistan evacuation operation, the White House said. The meeting included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is on a Southeast Asia tour, also participated via video conference.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that over the past week, 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, were evacuated from Kabul. In the last 24 hours, military aircraft C-17s and chartered planes were flown 38 times to evacuate 3,800 people. The U.S. aims to evacuate up to 9,000 people per day. Compared to this goal, the evacuation operation is progressing slowly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.