Afghanistan: The US Has Carried Out Military Strike In Kabul, Officials Report
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Officials have confirmed the United States has carried out a second strike in Kabul, the Foreign Policy Correspondent for Reuters reports.
The strike initially appears to be a separate incident to the blast which occurred earlier today, August 29, at a residential property near the airport, according to The Guardian. However this is yet to be confirmed.
US officials told Reuters that American forces launched a military strike to target a possible suicide car bomb that was aiming to attack the airport. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were targeting suspected ISIS-K militants.
The strike was previously confirmed by a Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a message to journalists. The US military have since confirmed that it indeed carried out a drone strike on a vehicle in Kabul.
On behalf of Capt. Bill Urban, a CENTCOM spokesperson said the US military forces ‘conducted a self-defence unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul’.
They said that the strike eliminated ‘an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International airport’, according to a screenshot shared via the Twitter of Raf Sanchez, Foreign Correspondent for NBC News.
The statement went on to say:
We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.
We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time. We remain vigilant for potential future threats.
Reports have suggested the strike has resulted in at least one casualty, but this is yet to confirmed.
After an attack which took place on Thursday, August 26, President Joe Biden warned that another attack in Kabul was highly likely in the following days.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the single suicide bomber attack on August 26, which left as many as 170 people dead, including 13 US troops. As a result of the deadly attack, the US military carried out a drone strike against the group.
It was reported that a planner of the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group was believed to have been killed during the drone strike, which was carried out in Nangarhar province in the east of the country.
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Topics: News, Afghanistan, Airport, Kabul, Now
Credits
@idreesali114/ Twitter and 2 others@idreesali114/ Twitter
The Guardian
Afghanistan live news: another blast reported near Kabul airport amid warnings of further attacks
@rafsanchez / Twitter
BREAKING: US military confirms it carried out a drone strike against a vehicle in Kabul.
