Western Nations Pull out from Kabul Airlift after Warning of Lethal Terror attack by ISIS

Western nations involved in the Kabul airlift began pulling out of the effort on Thursday, with a number of them citing the acute threat of a "highly lethal" terrorist attack by Islamic State, possibly within hours.

In a warning delivered by several western nations including the UK, Afghans gathering to try to gain access to Kabul's Hamid Karzai international airport were told to leave immediately and move to a safe place.

James Heappey, the UK armed forces minister, said Afghans trying to flee for the UK should not head to the airport owing to the "very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack".

The warnings were specific. "Those at the Abbey gate, east gate or north gate now should leave immediately," the US state department said, citing unspecified "security threats". It advised people to approach only if "you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to

number of nations issued statements saying they were ending their involvement in the airlift on Thursday, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Hungary.

France said its flights would end on Friday. The prime minister, Jean Castex, told the French broadcaster RTL: "From tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport."

A Dutch government statement said: "The Netherlands has been informed by the United States that it has to depart today and will most likely perform the last flights later today. This is a painful moment because it means that despite all the great efforts of the past period, people who are eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands will be left behind."

Poland announced the end of its involvement in the largest ever air evacuation. "The evacuation action from Afghanistan ends today,...