Status: 08/28/2021 7:02 p.m.
According to the US military, two high-ranking members of the terrorist militia were killed in the drone attack against IS in Afghanistan. The US has meanwhile started withdrawing its troops at the airport in Kabul.
According to the US military, two high-ranking representatives of the terrorist militia were killed in the US drone attack against an IS branch in Afghanistan. Another person was injured, said Major General William Taylor at the US Department of Defense.
After the unmanned air strike in Nangarhar province, the US military had previously only stated that they had killed a “planner” belonging to the Islamist group IS-Khorasan. Now one assumes to have killed another member of the terrorist militia, it said. According to current knowledge, there are no civilian victims, said Taylor.
Unclear whether directly involved in the attack
The attack by the US Army was in response to the devastating suicide attack in Kabul, in which well over 150 Afghans and 13 US soldiers were believed to have been killed on Thursday. US President Joe Biden had announced retaliation in an initial statement after the attack. According to US security sources, he granted his commanders permission to attack targets of the Islamist group in Afghanistan shortly afterwards.
It remained open whether those killed in the US attack were directly involved in the attack in Kabul. According to the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, they were masterminds and promoters of the Afghan branch of ISIS. This was reason enough to take action against them.
Troop withdrawal from the airport started
The US also announced today that it has initiated the withdrawal of its troops from the airport in Kabul. The process has started, said Kirby. Thousands of people are still waiting at the airport for a chance to leave the country. The US troops are supposed to leave Afghanistan by Tuesday, according to Biden’s will. On Friday, more than 5,000 US soldiers were stationed at Kabul Airport.
For security reasons, the military will not initially provide any new numbers on troop strength, said Kirby. Western citizens and former Afghan employees will still be able to be flown out until the end of the mission.
USA flies drone attack on IS offshoot in Afghanistan
Patricia Klieme, MDR, Tagesschau 12:00 p.m., 8/28/2021
US military: airport completely under control
According to their own statements, the US military still has complete control of the airport. Kirby said they will be responsible for the security and operation of the airport until the planned departure on Tuesday. All gates of the airport are still under the control of US troops.
With this, Kirby again contradicted a representation by the Taliban, according to which the US had handed over “two or three” entrances to the airport to Islamist forces on Saturday night. The Taliban have set up security checkpoints around the airport, Kirby said. “But they do not control gates, they are not at the airport and they have no role in security.”
More retaliatory strikes could follow
Experts assume that the attack that has now taken place against IS-Khorasan will not have been the Americans’ last act of revenge against the terrorist militia. However, after the US troops have withdrawn, it would be much more difficult to find possible IS masterminds, said national security expert Peter Bergen on CNN. Just yesterday the US military destroyed its own CIA base in Kabul to prevent sensitive intelligence information from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
The CIA had a fairly large presence in Afghanistan and is now completely gone. The closest US military base is in Doha, 1000 miles away. That means the US can no longer observe what is going on in Afghanistan. This ability is getting smaller every day.
With information from Claudia Sarre, ARD-Studio Washington
Retaliatory attack: Pentagon speaks of two ISIS members killed
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, August 28, 2021 7:13 pm