This archive report was first published on 29 August 2021.
US President Joe Biden warned of another terror attack in Kabul on Sunday, hours after a suspected rocket blast added to the city's frayed nerves as a massive airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans entered its last days.
Since the Taliban swept back into power two weeks ago, about 114,000 people have fled the country via a US-led evacuation, and the operation is winding down despite Western powers saying thousands may be left behind.
On Thursday, a suicide bomber from the local chapter of the Islamic State group targeted US troops stopping huge crowds of people from entering the airport, killing more than 100 people, including 13 US service personnel.
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.
Western allies that helped with the airlift have mostly already ended their evacuation flights, with some voicing despair at not being able to fly out everyone at risk.
The head of Britain's armed forces, General Sir Nick Carter, told the BBC it was 'heartbreaking' that 'we haven't been able to bring everybody out.'
A White House official said 2,900 people were evacuated in a 24-hour period between Saturday and Sunday, a drastic reduction from earlier in the week.
France and Britain will on Monday urge the United Nations to work for the creation of a 'safe zone' in Kabul to protect humanitarian operations, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
