either side by concrete blast barriers and in that, if you slow down the video you can see there is a drainage ditch, i believe it s on the right-hand side in the video over my shoulder that drainage, sewage ditch, that would be a possible infiltration route where a suicide bomber could come in through the wade through the sewage and debris in that ditch, and that is where we have seen videos showing a number of bodies floating in that filthy water. so when you come out of the baron, you leave and go a couple of hundred yards down this for phied corridor. afghans were gathering there, hoping they could get into the abbey gate. when we went there it was a coordinated effort. we drove and we arrived at the abbey gate and they were expecting us and u.s. personnel and other foreign nationals, other foreign military personnel allowed us through, but that means that there is a military
you go out and take a right and there was a narrow corridor just maybe 20 yards wide. on either side very tall concrete blast barriers. you take that corridor to go to the abbey gate. that is a big metal gate that goes to the compound. you have to go through this corridor and you get to the gate and if you have the right credentials and connections the u.s. personnel will open that gate for you and let you on. we understand from a source at the security source at the baron hotel it was in that corridor that the explosion took place. and it may sound like a minor detail but it is important. there is a drain an and sewage canal that goes under the road, so it would allow a suicide
0 all right, david, thank you. we have a bit more breaking news to add to this, the pentagon spokesman saying we can confirm the explosion at a gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of u.s. and civilian casuacasualties. another explosion a short distance from the abbey gate also took place. our breaking news coverage continues now with craig melvin. good thursday morning. craig melvin here. we continue to follow breaking news in afghanistan. explosion outside of the airport in kabul. expected to be an ied attack. word a few moments ago from pentagon spokesman. another explosion near by at a hotel. while they have no confirmation who is behind it, the assumption is that it was caused by isis-k. a splinter group of isis. that group considered to be an adversary of the taliban. the airport already on high alert because of a threat attributed to that group. just in the last few minutes john kirby saying the explosion near the abbey gate at the kabul airport
0 wants to leave, but you want to get every american citizen who wants to leave out of that country before the military departs. my thanks to john brennan and congressman gallego, a big thanks to all of the other correspondents and guests who joined me this hour. we will take a quick break. we will continue our coverage there in afghanistan. again, 60 people hurt, at least 13 dead according to the taliban. we are not going to take a break, but andrea mitchell reports does start right now. and thank you to craig melvin. good day. this is andrea mitchell reports in washington with breaking reports out of afghanistan. two separate bombings one near the southeastern abbey gate where thousands of people have been waiting to gain entry and escape taliban rule and the second at the nearby baron hotel. taliban news saying 13 people were killed some of them children by the suicide attack. two u.s. intelligence officials tell nbc news while they have no attribution for today s suspected