The United States today forewarned its troops, officials and its allies stationed in Kabul of more specific and credible threats of terrorist attacks on Kabul airport.
United States forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks after an ISIL-affiliated suicide bombing on Thursday that killed at least 175 people. Thirteen US service members and 28 Taliban members died in the attack outside Kabul airport.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that the US believed there are still “specific, credible” threats against the airport.
Pentagon officials also said they believe the attack outside Kabul airport was a result of one explosion, not two as previously reported.
“We do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel, that it was one suicide bomber,” US Army Major General William Taylor told reporters at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
The US officials and Taliban said the evacuation process has resumed at the Kabul airport on Friday.
“We have seen a number of planes take off. The number of people around the airport has grown dramatically since yesterday,” he said.
Thursday’s attack was claimed by ISIL (ISIS) offshoot in Afghanistan – the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), Al-Jazeera reported today.
US President Joe Biden pledged to retaliate against the attack in Kabul, confirming that the bombings were carried out by ISKP. “We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command,” he said.
US says it evacuated 4,200 people in 12 hours
The US says it has evacuated approximately 4,200 people in 12 hours on Friday, following the deadly suicide attack near the airport in Kabul on Thursday.
“Since August 14, the US has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 109,200 people,” the White House said in a statement. “Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 114,800 people.”
US drone strike kills planner of Kabul airport attack
The United States has killed the planner of the ISIL-group involved in Kabul airport attack. The United States has announced that it carried out a drone strike in eastern Afghanistan against a “planner” of an ISIL-affiliated group, a day after an attack outside Kabul’s airport that killed at least 175 people and 13 US troops.
“The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target,” Captain Bill Urban of the US Central Command said in a statement.
“We know of no civilian casualties,” he added in a statement announcing the first reported US strike since the attack.
Thursday’s attack was claimed by ISIL (ISIS) offshoot in Afghanistan – the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP ( also known as ISIS-K).
The news comes as the US forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule issued an alert on Saturday of possible attacks at Kabul airport.
The US Embassy in Kabul also warned Americans who remain in Afghanistan to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport gates “immediately” citing security threats.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that the US believed there are still “specific, credible” threats against the airport.
