60 civilians, 12 US soldiers killed, dozen others injured in blast
at Kabul airport
|
Seventy-two people were killed and dozens injured, including
American troops, in an explosion at the Kabul airport on Thursday, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health. The blast ripped through
the Abbey Gate of the international section just hours after a
Western intelligence warning. The airport was swamped with
Afghans fleeing the country seized by the Taliban, fearing
repression. There was a second explosion at Baron Hotel near
the airport. |
NEW DELHI, Aug 26: At least 60 civilians and 12 US soldiers were killed and
dozens of others injured in a huge explosion at the Kabul airport on Thursday. There was also a second explosion at a hotel near the
airport. The ISIS has claimed the blasts. Gunfire also followed the explosions.
Video images uploaded by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies. An Italian
charity hospital alone was treating more than 60 wounded. Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid said "at least 52 people" were wounded in the blast near
Baron Hotel close to Abbey Gate of Kabul airport where the first blast took
place.
Another Taliban spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen said, "I confirm two explosions.
We strongly condemn this gruesome incident and will take every step to bring
the culprits to justice."
A third blast reported near Kabul airport occurred when a Taliban vehicle hit
an improvised explosive device (IED) in central Kabul.
The explosions took place just hours after the US, UK, Belgium and Australia
asked their citizens to leave the premises of the airport overcrowded by Afghans
trying to flee the country fearing repression by the Taliban which has taken
control of Afghanistan, following an intelligence warning of an imminent terrorist
attack. While the UK had said the attack was imminent in hours, Belgium had
said it could be a suicide bombing.
The Pentagon has confirmed US casualties but not the figures.
UK evacuation operation will continue: PM
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK evacuation operation
in Afghanistan will continue for a bit longer. French President Emmanuel Macron
has voiced full support for an "American allies" response to the explosions.
The UK has warned airlines to avoid flying below 25,000 feet over Afghanistan.
French President Macron said that the country's ambassador will leave Afghanistan
but France will try to evacuate 'several hundred' more Afghans. Canada said
its airlift is over.
The blast has been confirmed by Pentagon press secretary John Kirby who said
the huge explosion took place at the Abbey Gate of the international section.
The blast was followed by firing. Nusrat Ghani, Tory MP of Wealden (East Sussex,
England) tweeted he was at the time on phone with an Afghan outside the airport
who was witness to the blast.
The White House said on Wednesday that so far since August 14 95,700 people
have been evacuated from Afghanistan by the US and alliance partners. On Wednesday
13,400 people were airlifted. The deadline for the US and allies to leave is
August 31 as per the agreement with the Taliban. The US says 1,500 Americans
remain to be airlifted. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as the deadline
is nearing now the priority will be to evacuate the Americans.
Canada's acting Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre said on Thursday
Canada has stopped the evacuation process because of the deadline although some
Canadians were left behind. Canada has airlifted a total of 3,700 people.
Meanwhile, in a new development, Russia has said it is in touch with the US
Government about the crisis in Afghanistan and that it is interested in peace
in that country. Moscow has not yet recognised Taliban.
Russia sends military aid to border countries
At the same Russia has admitted it is sending military aid to Central Asian
countries bordering Afghanistan to ramp up its bases to face any eventuality,
especially a rush of refugees which President Putin has said they are not ready
to accommodate for fear of spies and terrorists creeping in.
Taliban has seized most of the country but is yet to form a Government even
as the domestic situation is worsening with all sources of internal and external
funding having been blocked. Most banks are not operating and the people are
without cash to buy daily essentials.
A huge humanitarian crisis is set to overtake Afghanistan especially as even
medical supplies are being blocked from reaching the country. Families which
have been displaced are seen begging for food on the streets of Kabul near the
overcrowded airport.
|
|
|
|
|
SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
|
Top Govt officer thrashed, kicked inside Bhubaneswar office: Incident sparks a debate
| |
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
|
|
UK's House of Commons votes to legalise assisted dying: What it means | |
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
|
|
What caused Air India Boeing 787 crash? Some questions, some answers | |
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
|
|
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line brings Kashmir Valley on India's rail map |
- The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
- The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
- The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest
railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)
|
|
Work done, Elon Musk steps down from DOGE, leaves White House | |
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
|
|
Ailing Asiatic lion Pataudi too dies of bird flu at Kanpur zoo
| |
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
|
|
48 tourist destinations closed in Kashmir following Pahalgam terror attack
| |
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
|
|
Trump slaps ‘kind’, ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on trading partners; a 'lenient' 26% on India!
|
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
|
|
Trump signs order to shut Education Dept - And the contrast with India
|
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
|
|
Sunita, Wilmore's Dragon splashes down in Gulf: What delayed their return? |
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
|
|
All 80k health workers in US offered $25,000 voluntary buyout: Administering wrong prescriptions!
| |
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
|
|
|
|
|
Previous Files
|
|
|
|
ARCHIVES
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
|
|
|
Neighbours Calling
Bhutan
Nepal
Malaysia
Dubai
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
|
|