The US military has confirmed that there was an explosion outside the Kabul airport amid a huge evacuation effort from Afghanistan on August 26.

At least 13 people including children were killed in the suspected suicide bombing, a Taliban official told Reuters. The official said many Taliban guards were wounded.

“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs John Kirby wrote on Twitter.

We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can.

— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021

As many as three US service members were among those injured, the official said, citing initial information, the news agency reported.

Thousands of people have gathered outside the Kabul airport to try to flee the country since the Taliban seized power earlier this month.

A massive airlift of foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans has been underway since the day before Taliban forces captured Kabul on August 15, capping a swift advance across the country as US and allied troops withdrew.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official.

The United States has been racing to carry out the airlift before its military is set to fully withdraw from the country on August 31.

In an alert issued on August 25, the US Embassy in Kabul had advised citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately, citing unspecified "security threats."

(With text inputs from Reuters)

(Edited by : Kanishka Sarkar)

First Published:Aug 26, 2021 7:34 PM IST