MILITARY
Kabul airport attacks kill more than 170
August 27, 2021 - Explosions near Hamid Karzai International Airport kill at least 170 people, including 13 U.S. service members. Islamic State Khorasan claim responsibility.
Suicide bombers conducted two near-simultaneous attacks. One bomber detonated an explosive vest in a crowd gathered outside the Abbey Gate entrance. A second bomber attacked the nearby Baron Hotel, which houses British nationals awaiting evacuation.
President Joe Biden pledged retaliation against the militant group. Biden added the United States has “some reason to believe” they know the leaders behind the attack and that the United States will find means to “get them wherever they are without a large military operation.”
The United States, Britain and Australia had warned citizens to stay away from the airport due to “credible threats.” Two British nationals and the child of a third British national are confirmed to have died.
In the wake of Thursday’s deadly bomb attack, the U.S. military says it has carried out a Reaper drone strike, killing a planner for the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group.
An official told Reuters news agency that the suspected IS-K member, or Islamic State Khorasan, was targeted in Nangarhar province.