The gates to Kabul's airport are reportedly being 'welded shut'

Sources on the ground indicate that the gates at the Kabul airport have now been sealed shut, a reporter tweeted on Thursday at 11:50Am Eastern Standard time.

Liz Sly of the Washington Post tweeted:

"The Kabul airport attack has nixed hopes of evacuation for the last thousands still hoping to make it out. Am hearing the US military is sealing shut the airport gates. The casualty numbers are growing by the minute. A tragedy piled on a tragedy."

"To be clear, evacuations of those inside the airport will continue. But I am trying to get people out and am told no one who is not already inside will now be admitted. There are thousands who have been been unable to reach the airport," continued Sly in her follow-up tweet.

Howard Altman of the Military Times concurred: "Our sources on the ground tell us gates are being welded shut," tweeted Altman shortly after.

Three days ago, the White House claimed unequivocally that there were "no Americans stranded in Afghanistan" and that "we are not leaving Americans who want to return home; we are going to bring them home."

A recent brutal attack on the Kabul airport by a suicide bomber has caused chaos and a mounting death toll, with at least 12 US servicemen confirmed dead and many many more injured as of the time of this writing.

The US Department of State has pushed back then  cancelled an imminent press briefing on Thursday in the wake of the incident, leaving the public hungry for answers as to the specifics of what is going on in Afghanistan.