Act quickly against the president Joe Biden’s The U.S. military promised to retaliate against the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul Airport, saying it used drones to attack and kill a member of the Islamic State Group. Afghanistan Attached to Saturday.
At the time of the strike, the White House said there were signs that as the U.S.-led Kabul airport evacuation operation entered the final days, IS planned to launch another attack. Biden has set Tuesday as the deadline to complete the exit.
A defense official who asked not to be named said that Biden authorized the drone attack, which was ordered by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who spoke on condition of anonymity and provided details that have not been publicly announced.
The airstrike was launched from outside Afghanistan less than 48 hours after the devastating Kabul attack. The attack killed 13 Americans and dozens of Afghans. The United States finally withdrew only after 20 years of war. A few days. US Central Command provided few details; it said it believed its strike did not cause civilian deaths.
The speed of the US military’s retaliation reflects its close surveillance of the Islamic State and years of experience in combating extremists in remote areas of the world. But this also shows that the United States has limited power to eliminate the threat of extremism. Some people believe that since the Taliban are in power, they will have more freedom of movement in Afghanistan.
The Central Command stated that the drone attack was carried out in Nangarhar Province against an Islamic State member believed to be involved in a planned attack on the United States in Kabul. The spokesman, Captain William Urban, said that the attack resulted in one death.
It is not clear whether the target individual was directly involved in the suicide bombing outside the gate of Kabul Airport on Thursday, as Afghans are desperately trying to enter as part of the ongoing evacuation.
After Biden announced on Thursday that the perpetrators of the attack would not be able to hide, the airstrike took place. “We will hunt you down and make you pay,” he said. Pentagon leaders told reporters on Friday that they are ready to respond to any retaliatory actions ordered by the president.
“We have a choice now,” said Major General Hank Taylor of the Pentagon Joint Staff.
The president was warned on Friday that another fatal attack is expected in the final days of the frantic U.S.-led evacuation. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden’s national security team offers a grim outlook.
“They told the president and the vice president that another terrorist attack might happen in Kabul, but they are taking the largest protective measures by force at Kabul Airport,” Pasaki said, which is in contrast to what the Pentagon has been saying since the bombing at Kabul Airport on Thursday. echo.
Later on Friday, the State Department once again urged Americans to stay away from the airport gates, including the “new Interior Department gate.”
Few new details about the airport attack appeared a day later, but the Pentagon corrected the original report that suicide bombings occurred in two locations. It said there was only one-at or near the gate of the monastery-followed by gunfire. Major General Hank Taylor of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff said the preliminary report on the second explosion of the nearby Baron Hotel proved to be wrong. He blamed the mistake on the initial confusion.
A U.S. official said on Friday that based on preliminary assessments, U.S. officials believe that the suicide vest used in the attack carried about 25 pounds of explosives and contained shrapnel. In addition to 13 Americans, the suicide vest used in the attack also killed 13 Americans. At least 169 Afghans. An official, who asked not to be named, said that suicide bombers usually carry 5 to 10 pounds of explosives to discuss preliminary assessments of the explosion.
In the long run, Biden still faces the problem of containing a series of potential extremist threats in Afghanistan, which will become more difficult with the reduction of US intelligence assets and the absence of a military presence in the country.
Emily Harding, a former CIA analyst and deputy chief of staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she doubted Biden’s assurance that the United States would be able to monitor and combat terrorist threats from outside Afghanistan. The Pentagon also insisted that this so-called “over-the-horizon” capability will be effective, including reconnaissance and attack aircraft stationed in the Persian Gulf.
In an appearance in the Oval Office on Friday, Biden once again expressed condolences to the victims of the attack. The return of the remains of American soldiers to their homes in the next few days will not only remind people of the destruction of Kabul Airport, but also of the costly way the war is about to end. In the past two decades, more than 2,400 American soldiers have been killed in the war and tens of thousands have been injured.
The Marine Corps stated that of the 13 Americans killed, 11 were Marines. One is a navy sailor and the other is an army soldier. Before informing the family, their names have not been announced. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that this process can sometimes be very long and involves “difficult conversations.”
Nevertheless, the tragic details of the victims began to surface. A Marine from Wyoming traveled to Afghanistan for the first time. His wife will be pregnant within three weeks; the other is a 20-year-old man from Missouri whose father was distraught by the loss. The third 20-year-old man from Texas joined the armed forces after graduating from high school.
Biden ordered the American flag to be lowered at half-mast across the country to commemorate the 13 people.
They are the first group of American soldiers killed in Afghanistan since February 2020. That month the Trump administration reached an agreement with the Taliban to require the militant group to stop its attacks on Americans in exchange for the U.S. agreement in May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would withdraw all troops by September.
Psaki said that the evacuation of Americans and others in the next few days, including vulnerable Afghans fleeing Taliban rule, “will be the most dangerous period to date.”
The White House stated that as of Friday morning, approximately 12,500 people had been airlifted from Kabul on U.S. and coalition aircraft in the past 24 hours; another 4,200 people were evacuated in the following 12 hours. Psaki said that about 300 Americans have left, and the State Department is working with about 500 Americans who want to leave. The government has stated that despite the terrorist threat, it still intends to continue to advance and complete the airlift.
Kirby told reporters that the US military is monitoring credible and specific ISIS threats in “real time”.
“Of course we are prepared and look forward to future attempts,” Kirby said. He declined to describe the details of any additional security measures being taken, including those implemented by the Taliban at the airport gate and surrounding areas. He said there were fewer people in and around the gate on Friday.
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Darlene Superville, and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
© 2021 Canadian Press
