Home Air US kills ISIS-K planner in response to deadly Kabul terror attack

US kills ISIS-K planner in response to deadly Kabul terror attack

Reaper UAV
Illustration. US Air Force file photo

The US military has employed an MQ-9 Reaper drone to kill an ISIS-K planner in Afghanistan in response to a suicide bombing attack just outside the Kabul airport on Thursday.

A statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the “over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation” took place in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. The statement further said two targets had been killed, according to initial indications.

ISIS-K, the K standing for Khorasan Province, is an affiliate of the Islamic State group attracting terrorists from Afghanistan and Pakistan, regions that cover territories of the historical region of Khorasan.

CENTCOM did not provide details on whether the planner was believed to be one of the persons behind the bombing attack that has claimed the lives of 13 US service members and 162 Afghans. Many more have been injured.

The attack took place in the vicinity of the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKAIA) from where the US and coalition forces have so far evacuated 100,000 people fleeing from the Taliban regime.

The US began the evacuation operation on August 15, when the Taliban entered Kabul as the only major urban area that had still been under the control of the government of president Ashraf Ghani.

The US announced in April this year it would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September this year, with the process starting in May.

Evacuation of Afghans who collaborated with the former government and ally forces is currently in its final phase, with the operation set to conclude by August 31, a deadline set by the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon disclosed the identities of the servicemembers killed in the bombing attack on Thursday. The casualties include 11 marines, a US Navy hospitalman and a US Army Staff Sgt.