A Pakistani bomber belonging to the Haqqani network was arrested after two blasts rocked the Kabul airport and Baron Hotel on Thursday, killing over a 100 people, top sources in Afghanistan told CNN-News18.
The sources said Taliban knew about the nexus between the Haqqani network and Pakistan in the Kabul blast, and that a third blast was planned at the Turkmenistan embassy. However, two people were arrested before the said explosion could take place, the sources said.
Interrogation revealed that both are Pakistani, the sources said, adding that they are still in the custody of the Taliban.
The toll from Kabul Airport blasts crossed 100 with more than 150 others wounded, reports said, even as the as the ISIS-K, an affliate of the the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province suicide bombers attacked crowds of people who had gathered Thursday outside Hamid Karzai International airport, hoping to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The explosion also at least 13 US troops, and US President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down those responsible.
The IS branch said in its claim of responsibility that it targeted American troops and their Afghan allies.
The statement carried a photo of what the militant group said was the bomber who carried out the attack. The image shows the alleged attacker standing with the explosive belt in front of the black IS flag with a black cloth covering his face, only his eyes showing.
The statement made no mention of a second suicide bomber or gunmen. The claim could not be independently verified. IS also said the bomber managed to get past Taliban security checkpoints to come within 5 metres (yards) of a gathering of US soldiers, translators and collaborators before detonating his explosives. It said Taliban were also among the casualties. The extremist IS group has battled the Taliban, which it views as traitorous for agreeing to a peace deal with the United States.
The statement also said the bomber got around US security measures and that the camp that was targeted was where US forces were gathering paperwork for those who’ve worked with the military.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has asked Turkey to operate Kabul airport but no decision has been made yet, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.
“The Taliban have made a request for us to operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this matter,” he told a news conference at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before leaving for a trip to Bosnia.
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