Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2021 | 12:03 am

Updated 34 minutes ago

LONDON (AP) – The UK government says large numbers of people wishing to leave Afghanistan remain outside Kabul airport despite warnings to leave due to the risk of suicide bombing.

The United States, Australia and Great Britain have asked their citizens to leave the area immediately. It comes after President Joe Biden warned of the threat of attacks from militants linked to the Islamic State group.

British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Thursday that there were “very, very credible reports of an impending attack” at the airport.

Heappey conceded that people were desperate to leave and “there is an appetite for many in line to try their luck, but the reporting of this threat is indeed very believable and there is real imminence.”

THIS IS A CURRENT UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.

PARIS (AP) – The French prime minister has said his country will no longer be able to evacuate people from Kabul airport after Friday evening.

Jean Castex’s announcement on Thursday comes as the United States and its Western allies face an August 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Thousands of people tried to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, many through Kabul International Airport. This triggered a massive airlift from those trying to escape.

Castex told French radio RTL “from tomorrow night we will not be able to evacuate people from Kabul airport” due to the US withdrawal on August 31.

More than 2,000 Afghans and a hundred French have been evacuated by France since the start of the operation last week.