Kabul airport faces ‘lethal’ terrorist attack within ‘hours’ and everyone should stay away, warns minister

KABUL airport is facing an “imminent” and “lethal” terror threat within hours, the armed forces minister urgently warned today.

James Heappey said: “I can’t stress the desperation of the situation enough – the threat is credible, it is imminent, it is lethal.”

An ISIS splinter group operating in Afghanistan called ISIS-K are believed to be targeting British and US troops.

Mr Heappey said an attack could come “within hours” – and revealed he had been prepped with media lines in case a bomb went off mid-interview.

The severe terror threat means time is quickly running out to evacuate remaining Brits and refugees from the country.

But Brits and Afghans desperate to flee the Taliban are being begged not to come to the airport – and instead find safety.

The Minister said: “We wouldn’t be saying this if we weren’t genuinely concerned about offering Islamic State a target that is unimaginable.”

Mr Heappey told Sky News: “I think there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”

He said there will be 11 more flights out of Kabul today but declined to say whether there will be more on Friday, citing the security of troops.

The minister said: “We will do our best to protect those who are there. There is every chance that as further reporting comes in we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s now guarantee of that.

“But… the window of opportunity to evacuate people is closing. It’s not as simply a case of we can pause, deal with the threat and pick up where we left off.”  

Troops are racing to airlift their own nationals home – as well as desperate Afghan refugees – before the August 31 deadline to withdraw.

Terrorists are also trying to exploit the carnage at the airport – where more than 10,000 people are awaiting evacuation – to sneak aboard RAF flights back to Britain.

Security checks means UK officials at the airport are unable to process evacuees at breakneck speed.