Rocket blast in Kabul after US warns of more terror attacks

This 27 August 2021, satellite image courtesy of MAXAR, military aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Last-ditch evacuation flights took off from Kabul airport on Friday, a day after twin suicide bombings on crowds trying to flee Taliban-controlled AfghanistanAFP

A suspected rocket blast in Kabul Sunday hours after US president Joe Biden warned of another terror attack added to frayed nerves in the capital as a massive airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans entered its last days.

About 114,000 people have fled the country via a US-led evacuation since the Taliban swept back into power two weeks ago, and the operation is winding down despite Western powers saying thousands may be left behind.

What had already been a chaotic and desperate operation turned bloody on Thursday when a suicide bomber from the local chapter of the Islamic State group targeted US troops stopping huge crowds of people from entering the airport.

More than 100 people died in the attack, including 13 US service personnel, slowing down the airlift ahead of Biden's deadline for evacuations to end by Tuesday.

The Pentagon said Saturday that retaliation drone strikes had killed two "high-level" IS jihadists in eastern Afghanistan, but Biden warned of more attacks from the group.

"The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high," Biden said.

"Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours."

The US embassy in Kabul later released a warning of credible threats at specific areas of the airport, including access gates.

Late Sunday afternoon, a loud blast was heard coming from the north of the city which a security official in the toppled government said was a rocket hitting a house.

Further details were not immediately available.