Islamic State says it targeted Afghans, US troops in Kabul

A screen grab shows people carrying an injured person to a hospital after an attack at Kabul airport, in Kabul. Credit: Reuters TV/1TV/Handout

Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the attack outside the Kabul airport.

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport on Thursday, killing at least 60 Afghans and 12 US troops, Afghan and US officials said.

The IS branch, known as The Islamic State-Khorasan Province after a name for the region from antiquity, said in its claim of responsibility that it targeted American troops and their Afghan allies.

Read | At least 72 killed in Kabul airport attack: US, Afghan officials

The statement carried a photo of what the militant group said was the bomber who carried out the attack. The image shows the alleged attacker standing with the explosive belt in front of the black IS flag with a black cloth covering his face, only his eyes showing.

The statement made no mention of a second suicide bomber or gunmen. The claim could not be independently verified.

IS also said the bomber managed to get past Taliban security checkpoints to come within 5 metres (yards) of a gathering of US soldiers, translators and collaborators before detonating his explosives. It said Taliban were also among the casualties. The extremist IS group has battled the Taliban, which it views as traitorous for agreeing to a peace deal with the United States.

The statement also said the bomber got around US security measures and that the camp that was targeted was where US forces were gathering paperwork for those who've worked with the military.