Afghanistan: Kabul Suicide Attack Marks Deadliest Day For US In 10 Years
Published
| Last updated
The two terror attacks in Kabul that took the lives of 13 US troops, marking the country’s deadliest day in Afghanistan in 10 years.
Yesterday, August 26, two suicide bombers and gunmen turned scenes of desperation at Kabul’s airport into horror. In addition to the US troops, at least 70 Afghans were murdered in the blasts and gunfire.
It’s the largest loss of life for Americans since August 5, 2011, when the Taliban shot down a Chinook military helicopter in the Maidan Wardak province southwest of Kabul. A total of 38 people were killed in that attack, with eight Afghans losing their lives along with 30 members of the US military.
It’s also the first time US troops have been killed since the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 calling for an end to the violence in exchange for the withdrawal of forces, which President Joe Biden has since followed through with, vowing to have all troops out by September.
The Islamic State Khorasan Province, also known as ISIS-K – an official regional affiliate of ISIS known for being extremely violent – has claimed responsibility for the attacks. There is no evidence to suggest the Taliban is working with the extremist group at the time of writing, as per The Independent.
Biden issued an angry warning to ISIS-K in an address to the nation, saying, ‘To those who carried out these attacks today – as well as anyone who wishes America harm – know this: we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.’
While paying tribute to the ‘heroes’ who ‘engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others’, Biden confirmed the Pentagon is developing ‘operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities… we will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing’.
‘With regard to finding and tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are – not certain – and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them. Wherever they are,’ he added.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
