Multiple casualties in blast near Afghan military airport in Kabul

A huge explosion has targeted the entrance to a military airfield in the Afghan capital of Kabul, with reports saying the blast left an unspecified number of people dead or wounded.

Abdul Nafy Takor, a spokesman for the Taliban government’s interior ministry, said the explosion took place at the gate of the facility next to Kabul's International Airport on Sunday morning and that the cause of the incident was unclear.

"A number of our compatriots have been martyred and wounded in the blast," Takor said, adding that authorities were investigating the explosion in the vicinity of the military side of the heavily fortified airport.

Afghanistan's TOLO news agency cited an eyewitness as saying, “The incident happened at around 08:00 am. There were civilian casualties. Some people were wounded. But officials arrived and took action.”

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly incident, the first in Afghanistan in 2023.

MG