Reuters foreign policy correspondent Idrees Ali has been informed by a US Pentagon official that at least 10 US troops were killed in the blasts outside Kabul airport. He says this is a number “expected to rise”.

Explosions went off on Thursday outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people were gathered to try to flee Afghanistan on Western airlifts since the Taliban seized power earlier this month. Officials described the incident as deadly suicide bombings allegedly carried out by the Islamic State terror group.

A Taliban official told Reuters the bombings killed 13 people, including children. Numerous Taliban guards were among the injured, according to the official.

The Pentagon and Russia’s Foreign Ministry said a second explosion then went off outside Kabul airport. Moscow said the twin suicide attacks killed at least 13 people and wounded another 15.

A US official told Fox News that the explosion near one of the airport gates in Kabul was a combined suicide bombing and firefight. The outlet said at least three US troops were injured and that there were also Afghan casualties.