Number of US troops killed in Kabul airport attack: Pentagon

Washington - Reports say that at least four marines were killed in attack.

Several US troops were killed in the bomb attack at Kabul airport Thursday, and more were wounded, the Pentagon said in a statement.

"We can confirm that a number of US service members were killed in today's complex attack on Kabul airport," said spokesman John Kirby.

"A number of others are being treated for wounds," he said, calling it a "heinous attack."

The Pentagon declined to give figures, but Fox News and The Wall Street Journal reported that four marines were killed in the attack, which involved two bombs, one at the airport's Abbey Gate and one at a nearby hotel that had been used as a staging point for evacuations.

They were the first US service members to be killed in Afghanistan since Washington signed an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 to withdraw from the country.

In exchange for a commitment to pull out, the Taliban agreed to not carry out attacks on US or NATO troops.

More than 5,000 US troops are at the airport to provide security for the massive airlift that has taken close to 100,000 people, Afghans and foreign nationals, out of the country since April 14, fleeing the Taliban's seizure of power.

Thousands of Afghans and foreigners are still awaiting evacuation from the country.

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