Afghanistan: US Airstrike Targets ISIS-K Following Kabul Airport Attack
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The US military has carried out a drone strike against ISIS-K following the recent deadly attack at Kabul airport.
ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the blast, which happened on Thursday, August 26, and left as many as 170 people dead. This figure includes 13 US troops and many Afghan civilians, in what was the deadliest day for the US military in ten years.
It’s now believed that a planner for the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group was killed during the drone strike, which was carried out in Nangarhar province in the east of the country.
This is the first reported drone strike in Afghanistan since Thursday’s tragedy, BBC News reports, and was said to be an ‘over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation’, meaning it was launched from a third country.
Captain Bill Urban of Central Command said:
The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties.
It’s understood the Reaper drone, which was launched from the Middle East, hit the militant while he was in a vehicle alongside another ISIS-K member, according to Reuters.
The majority of ISIS-K’s several thousand extremists are thought to be in hiding in Nangarhar province, located east of Kabul.
Addressing the group on Friday, August 27, President Joe Biden stated, ‘We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,’ warning that there would likely be another attack in Kabul in the days to come.
If you’d like to help those who’ve been affected by the recent devastating events unfolding in Afghanistan, you can make a donation to the UN Refugee Agency United Kingdom here
Topics: News, Afghanistan, drone, Now
