Smoke rises from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday after an explosion as thousands of people try to leave the country. There was no official count of casualties as of press time but a witness claimed several appeared to have been killed or wounded. Photo: AP

At least 100 people were killed and 158 others injured after an explosion and ensuing gunfight rocked outside a gate of the Kabul airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, Sputnik reported on Friday.

The US confirms that 13 US service members have also been killed in the attack.

"A suicide bomb blast occurred in the middle of a crowd roughly at 6:00 pm local time outside a crowded gate," witness Abdul Wakil told Xinhua by phone.

The blast site at an airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 26, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

 
People were shifting the wounded by hand carts and stretchers as the road leading to the airport's Abbey Gate was blocked in the past days.

Ambulances, taxis and vehicles arrived near the site shortly after the blast, he said.

Local TV channel Tolo News aired a footage from an emergency hospital where dozens of vehicles were shifting the wounded.

The blast, which was reportedly caused by a suicide bomber, happened after Western nations warned of a terrorist attack at the airport as thousands of people gathered waiting for evacuation flights to leave the country.

Another explosion was also reported near a hotel soon after the first blast.

US officials believe ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State, was likely behind the airport attack but are still working to confirm the terror group's involvement, CNN reported, citing a senior US official and another source briefed on initial assessments.

President Joe Biden, who is in the White House monitoring the situation, has said US troops operating on the ground to assist the evacuation are reminded of heightened risks posed by ISIS-K.