The US drone strike on the Islamic State in Afghanistan killed two of the terror group’s operatives — but the Pentagon believes another terrorist attack …
The US drone strike on the Islamic State in Afghanistan killed two of the terror group’s operatives — but the Pentagon believes another terrorist attack in Kabul is imminent. Major Gen. William Taylor said that a “planner” and a “facilitator” were dead following Friday’s operation. Officials conceded that ISIS-K remains a deadly threat, and President Biden warned Saturday afternoon a new attack “is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours.” Officials refused to identify the individuals killed by name, or say if they played specific roles in the suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and at least 169 Afghans. The lack of detail led some experts to conclude the two were not high-value targets. “I’m not gonna talk about intelligence matters one way or the other,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Kirby characterized the two targets as confirmed operatives for Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, the local affiliate of the jihadist group that took credit for Thursday’s bloodshed. “They were ISIS-K planners and facilitators, and that’s enough reason there alone,” Kirby said. “The fact that two of these individuals are no longer walking on the face of the earth, that’s a good thing.” Biden said it won’t be the last US strike on the terrorists. “I said we would go after the group responsible for the attack on our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we have,” Biden said in a statement released Saturday afternoon. “This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay.” Taking those two terrorists out didn’t change the dynamics of the evacuation operation.
