ISIS-K ‘planner’ killed by US drone strike in Afghanistan

• The U.S. military has conducted a drone strike in retaliation to Thursday’s suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.
• The drone strike targeted and killed an ISIS-K “planner” believed to be “carrying out future attacks,” along with an “associate.”
• ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for the Kabul bombing that killed at least 13 American soldiers and 70 Afghans.

The United States has retaliated against the suicide bombing in Kabul that killed at least 13 American soldiers and 70 Afghans. The US military drone strike reportedly targeted and killed an alleged ISIS-K “planner.”

According to a Fox News report that quoted U.S. Central Command Spokesman Captain Bill Urban, the US military conducted “an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation” involving an “unmanned airstrike” targeting an “ISIS-K planner” located in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.

“Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” Captain Urban told Fox News on Friday.

The drone reportedly hit a vehicle carrying an ISIS-K planner and an “associate.” While it is still unclear if the planner was involved in Thursday’s Kabul bombings, he was believed to be “carrying out future attacks.”

The U.S. military official confirmed that the drone strike was carried out near the border with Pakistan.

ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that struck the outside perimeter of the Kabul airport, where thousands of Americans and Afghans have flocked to evacuate the country.

The attack had President Biden vowing for retaliation.

Several critics blamed the president for the current crisis and some even called for his resignation or impeachment, especially after reports that accused U.S. officials of providing the Taliban with the names of Americans and Afghan allies who wanted to evacuate.

The Taliban forces quickly took over Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country on Biden’s orders. The crisis that followed contributed to plunging approval ratings for the president. 

Critics pointed out that the withdrawal should have been more strategically handled, or that some troops should have remained to prevent frantic and deadly evacuations.

But the White House countered that the withdrawal was also planned by the previous administration, and that it would have been messy no matter what. The airlift was also able to save many lives, having evacuated around 12,500 people from Kabul between 3 a.m. Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday, including 8,500 on U.S. military flights. 

Source: FOX News