Kabul airport attack ‘planner’ killed

KABUL: A US air strike in Afghanistan killed two high-profile ISIS targets and left another wounded, the Pentagon said Saturday. One of the target was said to be the ‘planner’ of the Kabul airport attack.

No civilians were hurt in the attack early Saturday, which followed the suicide bombing Thursday that killed scores of people including 13 US troops at Kabul airport, Major General Hank Taylor told a news conference. "They were ISIS-K planners and facilitators. That´s enough reason there alone," said spokesman John Kirby. "The fact that two of these individuals are no longer walking on the face of the earth, that´s a good thing," Kirby added.

The drone strike in Nangarhar came as the airlift of those desperate to flee moved into its fraught final stages with fresh terror attack warnings and encroaching Taliban forces primed to take over Kabul airport.

US forces overseeing the evacuation have been forced into closer security cooperation with the Taliban to prevent any repeat of the suicide bombing, international media reported. With the airlift window narrowing sharply ahead of an August 31 deadline, more than 5,000 people remain inside Kabul airport awaiting evacuation. But crowds pleading for entry outside the perimeter gates have thinned to hundreds, according to two people who gained access on Saturday.

The carnage of Thursday´s suicide attack injected further stress and tension into a situation already fraught with panic and despair for those wanting to leave and high risk for the US forces tasked with securing the operation. On Saturday, two senior health officials from the former Afghan administration told AFP the death toll from the blast had topped 100, including the 13 Americans. Some media have put the toll as high as 170. The bombing followed a chorus of warnings about an imminent threat and, as people gathered outside the airport Saturday, the United States issued a fresh alert for its citizens to leave areas around the main gates "immediately".

In recent years, the Islamic State´s Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in those countries -- massacring civilians at mosques, shrines, public squares and even hospitals. At the White House, President Joe Biden´s press secretary Jen Psaki said US national security experts consider another attack is "likely" and the next few days will be "the most dangerous period to date".

Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi tweeted that the group´s fighters had already moved into parts of the military side of Kabul airport, but the Pentagon stressed that US forces retained control over the gates and airlift operations.

Racing to meet the Tuesday withdrawal deadline has required close cooperation with the Taliban on evacuee movements and the IS threat. The head of US forces at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Rear Admiral Peter Vasely, is in constant contact with the Taliban official overseeing security around the airport. With the Taliban poised to take over when the last US plane leaves, discussions have begun on resuming normal flight operations. Turkish officials have held initial talks with the Taliban in Kabul about helping get the airport back up and running. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Taliban offer was for them to oversee security at the airport, while Ankara runs logistical operations.

President Biden outlined the steps surrounding Friday's strike against ISIS-K, saying, “I said we would go after the group responsible for the attack on our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we have.”

“This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday.

The US president added: “The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high. ... Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection, and ensured that they have all the authorities, resources and plans to protect our men and women on the ground.”

Under enormous criticism at home and abroad for his handling of the Afghan crisis and the US military withdrawal, Biden has pledged to stick to the airlift deadline and to punish those responsible for the suicide blast.

About 109,000 people have been flown out of the country since August 14, the day before the Taliban swept to power, according to the US government. Some Western allies, including Britain and Spain, announced an end to their airlifts on Friday, following other nations such as Canada and Australia earlier in the week.

The United Nations said it was bracing for a "worst-case scenario" of up to half a million more refugees from Afghanistan by the end of 2021.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Saturday and agreed on the need for international aid and a common approach by the G7 to the future government of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Taliban official Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the former deputy chief negotiator of peace talks in Doha, said Friday that women have "an innate right" to work. "They can work, they can study, they can take part in politics and they can do business," he told a press conference.

The Taliban have also decided to form an inclusive caretaker government in Afghanistan, a member of the Taliban Shura (consultation committee) said.

The Taliban Shura member said that the caretaker government will include leaders from all ethnicities and tribal backgrounds in the country, as well as Taliban commanders, and currently, a dozen names are being considered to be made part of the new government.

Initially, appointments in the new government will be made for the ministries of judiciary, internal security, defence, foreign affairs, finance, information and a special assignment for Kabul’s affairs, said the Shura member.

He further stated that the Taliban co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is present in the Afghan capital, while the Taliban Chief of Army Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob has left Kandahar for Kabul to have initial discussions on forming the government.

Afghan citizens have also been directed by the Taliban to hand over all weapons and ammunition, besides government vehicles and property, to the concerned authorities.

The directive was issued by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a Twitter post. Zabihullah’s post said that the citizens are advised to turn in the items within a week.

“Announcement by the security of the Islamic Emirate: All those in Kabul city who possess vehicles, weapons, ammunition, or other government property, are being informed to handover the said items to the relevant authorities of the Islamic Emirate within a week in order to avoid any legal action against them,” wrote Zabihullah.

Similar orders were issued by the Taliban earlier, directing the civilians to surrender the weapons they had kept for their safety since "the Taliban are now there to ensure your safety".