Fatalities reach 20 amid fears of suicide bombers

THE stricken Kabul airport death toll soared to 20 over the weekend after seven more died – amid a major alert Islamic State could target crowds with suicide bombers.

Intelligence agencies have warned Islamic State in the Khorasan – the regional Isis branch – is infiltrating the capital hell-bent on ruining the West’s ceasefire Taliban deal.

Some of the dead are believed to have died from crush wounds but it is believed others were shot dead by Taliban thugs in control of Kabul.

More fear piled pressure on the race-against-time evacuation yesterday over the Islamic State alarm and increased tensions from within the coalition.

Military rescue planes are having to “corkscrew” in deep dives from high altitude into Kabul airport for fear of ISK missiles shooting one down.

When they take off they are soaring steeply in a reverse corkscrew almost vertically to gain height as quickly as possible to avoid ground fire.

Fears a civil war is looming have added to the tension and desperate need to process evacuees as quickly as possible.

New Taliban rulers have been hit with multiple attacks, mainly from the north and launched by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

Hundreds of fleeing Afghan National Army troops have headed north to the Panjshir valley where Uk-educated leader Ahmad Massoud is leading the rebellion.

Yesterday, according to sources, the Taliban was reinforcing its fighters trying to battle the rebels as they have lost scores of fighters in just days.

In Kabul the Taliban have worsened pressure on crowds outside the airport, firing into the air and beating people with batons.

Disturbing images emerged yesterday of Taliban fighters dressed from head to foot in US combat fatigues and brandishing brand new weapons, left in Afghanistan.

Much of it was taken from surrendering Afghan Army soldiers or is evidence Afghan troops have defected to the Taliban.

Another imaged mocked America’s iconic 1945 flag raising photo of US Marines raising their flag at Iwo Jima – and showed fatigueswearing Taliban raising their flag.

It comes after a week of escalating Taliban horror as Stasi-like door to searches in cities were launched, hunting down ex-official and security men or women.

Among the summary executions that have taken place were nine minority Afghan Hazara men – six executed by being shot in the head and three tortured to death.

In another horror report a woman in north east Afghanistan was set alight after the Taliban complained the food she cooked them was not good enough.

Afghan girls have been beaten in the street for not having their faces covered and there are many claims of executions taking place and people disappearing.

Amid the chaos sweeping Afghanistan it is believed the Taliban is ghosting bodies away and disposing of them in the desert – desperate to maintain the illusion of being “inclusive”.