DThe US military carried out a retaliatory attack on the deadly terrorist attack in Kabul and attacked a local branch of the Islamic State terrorist militia. The Central Command of the US Central Command announced on Friday night that the unmanned air strike against Nangarha Province in Afghanistan was the “planner” of Isis-K. “Based on the initial indications, we killed the target,” spokesman Bill Urban said. At the same time, the United States is worried that there will be another terrorist attack in Kabul. The US Embassy issued a security warning again that night, calling on all compatriots to leave the area near the airport gate immediately.
Central Command spokesman Urban said in response to the airstrike: “We do not know of any civilian casualties.” The Central Command did not provide any further details. It is unclear whether the attacked people were directly involved in the bloody attack on the airport in the Afghan capital.
The U.S. Armed Forces usually describe remote-controlled drone attacks as unmanned airstrikes, which can aim at targets from a height without being detected. In the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the United States has repeatedly emphasized that even if there are no soldiers on the ground, it is capable of conducting long-range air strikes.
Biden vowed to retaliate
US President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate after the bloody attack in Kabul. Dozens of people were killed in the terrorist attack at the airport on Thursday, including 13 American soldiers. “We are not forgiven. We will not be forgotten. We will hunt you down and make you pay for it,” Biden said shortly after the attack.
On Friday, his spokeswoman Jane Psaki reiterated the president’s determination: “He made it clear that he did not want them to still live on the earth.” She answered whether Biden killed the perpetrators or thought in court Questions asked. Psaki said that Biden has been informed of possible target plans.
“The attack on Isis-K is the beginning of revenge,” Republican Rep. Adam Kinsinger wrote after the attack on Twitter. “Congratulations to our military and President Biden for a correct decision. There is nothing to make up for the people we have lost, but there is no answer.”
Isis-K is a local branch of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). The Americans are talking about Isis, not IS-so they call this branch Isis-K.
New warning at the airport
The situation at Kabul Airport, where the U.S. Air Force is continuing its evacuation flights, remains extremely dangerous. The U.S. Embassy urged American citizens in front of the Abbey Gate, East Gate, North Gate or the New Interior Department to “leave the area immediately.” It issued a similar warning a few hours before the terrorist attack on Thursday.
“The threat is serious and it continues. Our troops are still in danger,” Pasaki said on Friday. Biden was told at a meeting with his national security team that “there is a possibility that another terrorist attack will occur in Kabul”. According to the White House, the next few days will be the most dangerous days of the evacuation mission. Nevertheless, Biden emphasized on Friday that the United States will continue to let people leave, which is a “worthy mission.”
Bundeswehr mission ends
However, the evacuation of the Bundeswehr ended on Thursday after eleven days. German soldiers on the mission landed at Winstorf Air Base on Friday night. The Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) and General Eberhard Zorn, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, traveled with them to Lower Saxony. They picked up the soldiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Spanish and French armed forces also ended their evacuation missions.
According to the White House, the United States and its allies have transported approximately 110,000 people from Afghanistan since the start of the evacuation mission in Kabul in mid-August. Recently, 4,200 people were evacuated within 12 hours on Friday. As of Friday afternoon (local time), the US government assumes that about 500 Americans willing to leave Afghanistan are still in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that you have direct contact with them and hundreds of other citizens who have not yet decided whether to leave the country.
300 Germans stay in Kabul
Germany hopes that local workers and other people seeking protection in Afghanistan will also be able to leave Afghanistan in the future by civilian planes. Apparently, about 300 Germans and more than 10,000 Afghans are still waiting to travel to Germany. However, Jens Arlt, the commander of the German evacuation mission in Afghanistan, was afraid to predict when Kabul Airport would be able to handle civilian aircraft again on Friday night. After returning to Germany, the Brigadier General said that the civilian part of the airport had been destroyed.
Since mid-August, the Taliban have been controlling Kabul-and therefore the area around the airport. However, at the gate and inside the site, American soldiers and their allies are responsible. However, these should be deducted by next Tuesday at the latest. Some international partners asked the United States to extend the mission period to allow more time for evacuation. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed regret about the timing of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on Friday. “This timing is definitely not chosen by this country,” he said.
