London, Aug 26 (AP) A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the explosion near the Kabul airport.

Paul “Pen” Farthing said the group was outside the airport when the blast occurred on Thursday.

Also Read | Multiple Blasts Rock Kabul, Second Explosion Reported Near Hotel Where Americans Gathered for Evacuation.

“We're fine but everything is chaos here at the moment,” he told Britain's Press Association news agency. “All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47.

“We've been in the airport, and back out of the airport; the whole thing's a mess,” he added.

Also Read | Taliban Leader Responds to PM Narendra Modi’s Statement, Says India Will Soon Know Taliban Can Run Afghanistan Affairs Smoothly.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group's rescued animals. They have been stuck outside Kabul's airport as they try to get a flight out.

He spoke as reports emerged of two suicide bombings outside the airport that killed at least 13 people and wounded another 15. U.S. officials meanwhile have said that American personnel were wounded in the blast, without elaborating.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)