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With intelligence about a threat in recent days, a threat to the airport. we do not have any confirmation of casualties and who would be among the casualties. kylie atwood at the state department, what is latest you re hearing there. the state department just yesterday warned americans away from the kabul airport specifically because of terror threats to the airport. reporter: yeah, that is right. just this morning the top state department official in afghanistan warned of an imminent threat, right. we know that yesterday they told americans to stay away, to leave the gates at the airport if they were there trying to get into the airport. of course to get on to these evacuation flights. it is good news that the united states put out that alert for americans frankly because it means hopefully thatsy lot of the americans that were there left. but the reality on the ground is that we have seen a tremendous number of afghans surrounding these gates, where we are reporting that this explo ....
As we reported yesterday, a credible threat intelligence stream that the u.s. had about plots, planning and capability to carry out an attack targeting exactly a gate like this and exactly a crowd like this that has been gathering at these gates. i want to go now to sam kiley. he was on the ground until just yesterday morning among the journalists taking out of the country in part because of safety concerns. sam, this was the concern and the sad fact is the pentagon now confirming such an attack. reporter: yeah, the situation on kabul international airport for several days until i left yesterday evening, in fact, jim, was extremely tense. because they did have this very active ongoing intelligence with some precision. this he were anticipating a spectacular attack. they were anticipating an attack almost certainly against the crowds gathering outside of the gate. and they anticipated that it ....
Walsh in doha. we see now a confirmed attack. only the families of the u.s. serve men concerned about who may have been on the airport at the time and also for the many afghans waiting outside. we don t know the reason behind this at this stage. it is an explosion. we haven t clarified precisely there are many things moving in that area. could be crowded areas so other reasons why there could have been a blast but it will play directly into fears of a possible attack. let me just tell you a little bit about where we think this might have occurred. in the out skirts of hamid karzai airport. no precise location. but there are many afghans waiting at key gates. there is one called abby gate and northeast gate and northern gates as well. people crowd to them. they re often huge metal doors essentially, i ve heard people banging on them. it is an extraordinary noise of desperation and that is where ....
Frankly trying to get into the airport. that would explain why we are hearing there are afghan casualties as a result of this explosion. now, we are told that this explosion looks like a suicide attack. that it was something that one person potentially going in, but we re looking to learn more about that. but significantly these gates have been closed largely for the last few days. as the united states has prioritized getting in americans. but the afghans have still been in large crowds outside of these gates. that is made the situation at the airport as the u.s. government has been tracking this isis-k threat, incredibly dangerous. and we heard just this morning from the top u.s. diplomat on the the ground in afghanistan who wouldn t talk about the threat streams that the united states was picking up. but used the word imminent to describe the threats that they are seeing that are possible. of course, what we re seeing now is something that they were likely tracking generally ....
Casualties are unclear at this time. we will provide additional details when we can. we also learned moments ago that president biden has been briefed on that explosion outside of kabul airport. a white house official tells cnn. and we are waiting on a pentagon press briefing which will happen in about 30 minutes from now. the back ground on this, as you look at a live picture from the kabul airport, that in recent days and yesterday we reported the u.s. has been very concerned about a credible threat stream about potential terror attacks targeting the gates to the airport and the crowds around those gates. the u.s. believing that terror groups had both the capability and the planning to carry out such attacks. there is still no attribution for these attacks or as we said, any confirmation about casualties. we have our reporters covering the story. let s begin with nick paton ....