A Few Hours After Kabul Terror, Explosion Sound Turns Out to Be... US Military Blowing Up CIA Base

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The explosion heard a few hours after the suicide bombing near Kabul Airport in Afghanistan on the 26th (local time) was confirmed to be caused by the U.S. military blowing up a CIA base.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 27th, U.S. officials stated that the explosion heard throughout Kabul at the time was caused by the demolition of the CIA base located outside the airport. Known as 'Eagle Base,' this site was a former brick factory converted for use and has been continuously utilized by the U.S. from the early stages of the Afghanistan war until recently. Initially a small base, it later became more significant, being used to train Afghanistan's counterterrorism units. The Afghan counterterrorism unit was one of the few that continued fighting until the end when the Afghan government collapsed under the Taliban's offensive. Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan, described them as "an exceptionally outstanding unit" and explained, "They were one of the main means the Afghan government used to block the Taliban over the past 20 years and fought until the very end."

Local Afghans reportedly knew very little about 'Eagle Base.' The base was highly secure and designed to be nearly impenetrable. The walls were 10 feet (about 3 meters) high, and the thick iron gates opened and closed quickly only when vehicles entered. Even after vehicles entered, entry to the base was only permitted after searches and document checks at three checkpoints installed outside. The U.S. military demolished the base to prevent American equipment or intelligence from falling into Taliban hands. The demolition was planned and unrelated to the suicide bombing at Kabul Airport that occurred a few hours earlier. However, after the bombing, the additional explosion sounds caused some to be alert to the possibility of further attacks.

With the U.S. military and American citizens' withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan on the 31st just three days away, the future developments are unpredictable. The Taliban has stated that the withdrawal deadline cannot be extended and that the U.S. must take responsibility for any consequences arising from this. The Biden administration expressed concerns that continuing the withdrawal beyond the 31st would increase risks to both Afghans and U.S. forces.

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