August 26,2001
[Editor’s Note: although this is an older report, the information is still important]
Twin suicide bombers (possibly ISIS-K terrorists) detonated bombs in the midst of crowds near the airport in Kabul Thursday (August 26) morning, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror.
Early reports were that 22 were killed and 60 were wounded. At least 12 U.S. service members were among the dead, including 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to two officials.
A subsequent gunfight erupted, and all airport gates processing evacuees were closed, leaving thousands waiting to be evacuated on their own.
Even as the Pentagon was describing the first bombing as a “complex attack,” the second explosion occurred yards away in front of the Baron Hotel where many Americans had gone for security, heeding a warning by the State Department last night of a substantial threat.
A former CIA agent who has been assisting special forces and US Intelligence on the Afghanistan evacuation reported from ground zero that a furious firefight erupted after the explosions and verified that the airport was shut down.
“This is a very serious and deteriorating situation,” he said. “There’s a lot of confusion going on. The scale of the mess is unimaginable.”
As many as 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week. Evacuation efforts are set to cease on August 31, 2021. Already some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats.
Please note: These are the facts that are being reported as of this writing. This story is still unfolding.
Let’s Pray:
– Heavenly Father, we hold before You our U.S. citizens trapped and unable to leave Afghanistan, that You would protect them and provide miraculous opportunities for them to be rescued. For those who do not know You, we pray they would reach out to You and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ in this critical hour.
– We pray for the safety of all those in the area, as well as for their stateside loved ones who are frantic and concerned.
– Lord, we lift before You our U.S. troops working to settle the situation. We pray for a brilliant and safe strategy and its execution that would allow the rescue of thousands waiting to be evacuated. Give them wisdom and keep them safe as they work to prevent additional attacks and provide aid to the wounded.
– God of Mercy, we call out for the safety of missionaries and local believers who are under extreme persecution and, in some cases, being hunted for their beliefs. We pray they will be able to move to safer places with their families. We ask for Your comfort and care for those who have lost family members as martyrs for Christ already. (At least dozens of cases have been reported.)
– We pray that children will be protected from being carried off to jihadi camps or sold as child brides. (Some Taliban are going village to village to capture the kids for these purposes, brutalizing and raping them.)
– Lord, we ask you to give boldness and courage to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been going village to village to make Jesus known before the Taliban reaches those areas.
– We ask You, Lord, to bring help to the residents of the country who are being displaced, who are facing food shortages, for women being enslaved, for the families being torn apart.
– Lord, we lift before You the doctors and those with medical experience in the country who are selflessly helping others, despite the dangers and now-broken healthcare options. Strengthen them and keep them safe.
– We lift before You our leaders in the White House, in the Pentagon, in Congress, on the ground overseas–that they would communicate together with one purpose to save lives and to have the wisdom for the next steps we must take.
Sources:
– John Robb, “Urgent from Afghanistan,” newsletter, August 25, 2021.
– “Pray First Focus: Afghanistan,” Presidential Prayer Team, August 26, 2021.
– Yaroslay Trofimov, Sune Engel Rasmussen and Vivian Salama, “Kabul Airport Explosions Kill Four U.S. Marines, at Least 60 Afghans,” Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2021.
– Zachary Stieber, “Explosions Rock Kabul, Causing Multiple Casualties,” Epoch Times, August 26, 2021.
[The mission of Cheryl and Hal Sacks, through BridgeBuilders, is to change the spiritual climate and transform culture through deploying strategic prayer in Arizona and the Nation, by mobilizing tens of thousands of people to invite God’s transforming presence into every sphere of cultural influence, guided by 2 Chronicles 7:14. Contact: info@bridgebuilders.net ]
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