Terror attack could strike Kabul airport within hours, UK minister warns

There could be an "imminent, highly lethal" terror attack at Kabul airport within hours, a UK minister has warned.

UK Armed Forces minister James Heappey said there were "very credible" reports of a "severe" threat in the Afghan capital, reports the BBC.

The Foreign Office last night issued new guidance telling anyone near the airport to "move away to a safe location and await further advice".

It comes amid a race to airlift thousands from Afghanistan before foreign troops depart.

Afghans told to leave Kabul airport over 'very credible' Islamic State threat

The US has set a deadline of 31 August for the withdrawal of its troops, with President Joe Biden rejecting calls from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other allies for an extension.

Heappey did not give a date for the last UK evacuation flights, but said it was likely that UK and other foreign troops would have to leave before the last American airlifts.

Kabul airport is currently being defended and run by the US, which has 5,800 troops on the ground - with the help of more than 1,000 UK troops.

The US advised Americans in Afghanistan not to travel or gather at the airport "because of security threats outside the gates". Australia has also issued an alert, telling those outside the airport to leave immediately.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday, Heappey said: "There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night."

"The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul," he said.

Asked by Sky News whether an attack could occur in the coming few hours, Mr Heappey replied: "Yes."

Stressing the "severe" nature of the threat, he told the BBC that it had created an "extraordinarily challenging situation, both on the ground and as a set of decisions to be taken in Whitehall".

"People are desperate, people are fearing for their lives anyway, and so I think there's an appetite among many in the queue to take their chances," he said.

He said UK troops were doing their best to provide security for those queuing, but the "reality" was that they were only holding "defined bits of ground" at the airport and at the hotel where people were being processed, and would therefore be "relying" on the Taliban for security beyond that.