The Pentagon said on Friday that it finally concluded that there was a single explosion outside the Kabul airport, and not two as reported Thursday, after the attack that killed dozens of people, including 13 US soldiers.
The deputy director of logistics for the US General Staff, Gen. Hank Taylor, told a news conference that they finally do not believe there would be a second blast on Thursday “in or near” the Baron Hotel, near the airport.
“So there was only one suicide bomber , “ Taylor said, adding that they are still not sure how this misreporting was made, but that it possibly came amid “confusion during dynamic events.”
On Thursday, the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Kenneth McKenzie, reported shortly after the attack that there had been two explosions carried out by two suicide bombers of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group with explosive vests.
According to McKenzie, a blast took place at one of the Kabul airport entrances, the so-called Abbey Gate, and the other near the Baron Hotel.
McKenzie noted that the blasts were followed by an armed attack by ISIS members in the area.
The ISIS branch in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, while President Joe Biden has claimed revenge against the perpetrators.
According to an official Afghan source, at least 95 people were killed and another 150 wounded in the attack on Thursday.
The source did not clarify whether the victims included the 13 deceased US soldiers and the other 18 injured in the attack, so the death toll could rise to more than a hundred.