UK, US Warn of 'Imminent' Terrorist Attack at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan by IS Militants

London/Washington, August 26: Britain and the United States on Thursday warned that there was a "very credible" report of an "imminent" terrorist attack by the Islamic State militants targeting those gathering at Kabul airport in an attempt to flee war-torn Afghanistan.

US President Joe Biden had mentioned the growing risk of an attack by the ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, when he announced his decision earlier this week not to extend the August 31 deadline for US-led NATO troops to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

There is "very, very credible" intelligence that Islamic State militants are planning an imminent attack on those gathering at Kabul airport in an attempt to flee Afghanistan, British armed forces minister James Heappey told BBC on Thursday.

"The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul," he later told BBC Breakfast. Asked by Sky News whether an attack could occur in the coming few hours, he replied: "Yes." Pentagon: Explosion Outside Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, Casualty Number Yet to be Ascertained.

The Islamic State (ISIS) Afghanistan affiliate, dubbed Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, is known for conducting suicide bombings and car bomb attacks.

Kabul airport is currently being defended and run by the US, which has 5,800 troops on the ground. However, they are dependent on Taliban support which leaves the international troops vulnerable.

The US has also asked its citizens in Afghanistan not to travel or gather at the Kabul airport "because of security threats outside the gates". On Thursday, US ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson told ABC News from Kabul that the security threat "was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling."

He, however, did not provide specifics of the threat or its current status.

On Thursday, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne also said: "There is an ongoing and very high threat of a terrorist attack".

The threat has strained the airlift operation to get as many people out of Afghanistan as soon as possible following its takeover by the Taliban.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that the “overwhelming majority” of people eligible for evacuation from Kabul airport have now left Afghanistan.

Johnson also reiterated that the UK government will do "everything we can" to get those remaining out of the country soon after warnings were issued of an “imminent” and “very lethal” terrorist attack from ISIS-K.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to British military's Permanent Joint Headquarters in north London to meet troops involved in evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, Johnson said, "around 15,000" people have already been evacuated by British troops.

“We've got the overwhelming majority of those to whom we owe that debt out of Afghanistan,” said Johnson. "In the time we have left, which may be – as I'm sure everybody can appreciate – quite short, we'll do everything we can to get everybody else," he said. "We are coming now to the end of this phase in any event," he said, in reference to the airlift operations.

The total also includes British embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the UK government's relocation programme – Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) – and some evacuees from allied countries.

The US has set a deadline of August 31 for the withdrawal of its troops, with President Biden rejecting calls from Johnson and other allies for an extension.

Johnson insisted the US deadline would not mark the end of the UK's efforts to help people wanting to flee the Taliban-controlled country, adding that the current airlifts were just the "first phase".

"Even beyond the US deadline of the 31st of this month, we hope to be able to continue to say to people, well you can come out,” he said. Amid concerns the Taliban could block off exit routes for citizens, the British Prime Minister warned the group they must allow people to leave Afghanistan to benefit from engagement from the rest of the world. Pakistan PM Imran Khan Calls on International Community for Positive Engagement with Afghanistan.

"What we're hoping, and this is the key point that the G7 agreed, is that the Taliban understand that if they want to engage with development aid, they want to unlock those billions of funds, they want to have a diplomatic, political relationship with the outside world, then the safe passage for those who want to come out is the key precondition," Johnson said.

Johnson also said his government had to be "transparent about the risks" posed by ISIS-K. Overnight on Wednesday, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said that the situation in the region remains “volatile”, with the advice being for British citizens and other evacuees to find a safe location and await further advice.

"The security situation in Afghanistan remains volatile. There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the FCDO updated travel advisory reads.

"Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice,” it says.

On Wednesday, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that about 2,000 people have been airlifted back to the UK in the last 24 hours and that "the system is operating at full speed".

"We will use every last remaining hour and day to get everyone we can back, the British nationals, the Afghans who worked so loyally for us, we are getting the Chevening scholars back, also women's rights defenders and journalists," he said. Afghanistan Crisis: Americans Warned to Get Away from Kabul Airport over Islamic State Threat.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told members of Parliament that some Afghans wanting to flee to Britain may be better off trying to reach one of the country's borders and making their way to a third country.

Over 82,000 people have been airlifted from Kabul after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. Thousands of people are still waiting inside and outside the airport, hoping to fly out of the country.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)