BackISIS mastermind of Kabul airport attack killed by Taliban; US says it has nothing to do with it
At least 13 US military personnel were killed while 18 others were wounded in the devastating terror attack at the Kabul airport in August 2021.
PremiumThe Taliban government, according to American media reports, has killed the alleged mastermind of a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport during the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021. The bomber detonated among packed crowds at the airport's perimeter on August 26, 2021, killing around 170 Afghans and 13 US troops.
The leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) cell that planned the attack was killed by Taliban authorities in recent weeks, according to a senior US administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to Politico.
The United States was not involved in the raid, and the official did not disclose when it took place, or the identity of the alleged ISIS member killed. However, the official said that the target "was someone who remained a key plotter, an overseer of plotting for ISIS-K", referring to the branch of the group operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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US intelligence has been working to confirm the killing, and the Biden administration has held off announcing it until the families of the 13 US troops could be informed. The White House National Security Council reported to Congress that nothing "would have changed the trajectory" of the exit, and President Biden has long defended his decision to leave Afghanistan.
The pullout, ending on August 30, 2021, saw Taliban fighters sweep aside Western-trained Afghan forces in just weeks, forcing the last US troops to mount the desperate evacuation from Kabul's airport. An unprecedented military airlift operation managed to get more than 120,000 people out of the country in a matter of days.
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Since the withdrawal, the US believes that Afghanistan is becoming a "staging ground" for the Islamic State group, according to a Washington Post report citing leaked Pentagon documents. The Taliban and ISIS have long engaged in a turf war in Afghanistan, and experts have pointed to the jihadist group as the biggest security challenge for the new Afghan government going forward.
Terror attack at Kabul airport
The devastating terror attack that took place at the Kabul airport on August 26, 2021 resulted in a staggering loss of life, both among US service members and Afghan civilians. The Pentagon confirmed that at least 13 US military personnel were killed while 18 others were wounded, with officials warning that the number could increase.
According to two officials from the previous Afghan administration, the death toll among Afghan civilians rose to 72, up from the earlier estimate of 60. Additionally, 140 more people were reported to be injured, underlining the scale of the tragedy.
The attacks were carried out despite repeated warnings that there was a heightened risk of terrorism, with security forces in Afghanistan and the US taking precautions to try and prevent such an event. The ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attacks, highlighting that its intended targets were US military personnel and their Afghan allies.
(With agency inputs)
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