US braces for more ISIS attacks after 85 killed in Kabul airport
Afghanistan is in the hands of the Taliban after the fall of Kabul on August 15 and the flight of the president, Ashraf Ghani. The Western powers, led by the United States, have since hastened to complete the withdrawal of their embassy personnel, as well as the Afghans who have collaborated with them. An attack at the Kabul airport adds uncertainty to the evacuation.
Summary of the last hours in Kabul
The chain of attacks in Kabul in the middle of the evacuation leaves a balance of at least 60 dead – including 12 US soldiers – and 140 wounded. The attack has been attributed to the Islamic State group in Khorasan . In a televised message to the nation, US President Joe Biden has warned that “we will make them pay” but has confirmed that the plan to leave Afghanistan is moving forward. In the last 24 hours, international forces have evacuated 7,500 people from Kabul .
7,500 people evacuated in Kabul in 24 hours
The United States and coalition forces evacuated some 7,500 people from Kabul airport on Thursday , which during the day was the target of a double attack that caused dozens of deaths and injuries . This was confirmed by a White House official, who indicated that the evacuations took place between 3:00 in Washington (11:30 am Kabul time) and 3:00 pm (11:30 pm) this Thursday. The official indicated that 14 US military flights transported approximately 5,100 people and 39 coalition flights mobilized another 2,400. According to the source, since August 14, the United States has evacuated or facilitated the departure of some 100,100 people.
The US has fulfilled the mission of ending al Qaeda, says Biden Biden has recalled that Trump made an agreement with the Taliban to leave the country in May in exchange for them not attacking US soldiers. The US president has recalled the tribal composition of Afghanistan, its problems to govern itself and that they were not going to invest more in setting up a “democratic government” in a country that never had it. That they have fulfilled the original mission of ending Bin Laden and Al Qaeda but that now terrorism is widespread in other countries, and that they cannot stay there.
Biden justifies talks with Taliban out of “mutual interest”
The US president has justified that they are talking to the Taliban out of “mutual interest”, but that does not imply recognizing them. And he has admitted that both have the Islamic State (ISIS) as a common enemy. Biden has explained that he has offered more resources or more days or whatever they needed to the US generals on the ground but that they have responded that they could comply with the planned plan. “The Taliban are not good guys, but they want the airport to boost their economy again,” he said.
Biden: “We will finish our mission”
The US president has promised that the terrorists will not condition their policies, that they will conclude the mission in Afghanistan but that the culprits will be punished. “We will make them pay for the lives of the Americans,” he said. He asked for a minute of silence for the deceased and injured, and recalled that his son, who died of cancer, was a soldier.