The Irish Army Ranger wing helped to evacuate 26 Irish citizens and their families during its mission in Afghanistan.

The nine special forces members and two Department of Foreign Affairs diplomats have now left Kabul.

In a statement this afternoon, the Foreign Affairs Minister said the decision to withdraw the team came “against the backdrop of an anticipated deteriorating security situation.”

At least 13 people were killed after two bomb attacks near the airport this afternoon.

The came just hours after Western intelligence agencies warned of the threat of an imminent terror attack in the area.

The 26 people rescued by the Emergency Consular Assistance Team (ECAT) came after 10 others were previously evacuated.

The team travelled to Afghanistan in the hopes of evacuating 24 Irish citizens and 12 of their family members.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had been contacted by a significant number of extra people in the past few days who also need assistance.

It means there are still 60 Irish citizens and their family members in Afghanistan who require as well as a further 15 Afghan citizens with Irish residency.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said efforts to help them all are continuing.

“I would like to thank the members of the ECAT team for their rapid deployment to such a challenging and complex environment and for their excellent work in securing the successful evacuation of 26 people,” he said.

“I know there are many in Ireland today with deep concerns for family members, friends and colleagues who remain in Afghanistan.

“Along with other countries, our team needed to evacuate due to the deteriorating security situation.

“I can give full assurance that the overall consular effort is continuing and we remain strongly committed to assisting those requiring ongoing consular support in Afghanistan.”

He said the strong advice to anyone in Afghanistan is to avoid the airport due to the ongoing security threats.