USA / US says it struck ISIS-K vehicle carrying explosive material to Kabul airport

The US on Sunday said it eliminated an "imminent ISIS-K threat" to Kabul airport by conducting "a self-defence unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike". "We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material," said US Central Command Spokesman Captain Bill Urban.

Vikrant Shekhawat : Aug 30, 2021, 09:32 AM

Washington: The United States carried out a military drone strike in Kabul on Sunday, hitting a vehicle carrying "multiple suicide bombers" on their way to Kabul airport.

“US military forces conducted a self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamid Karzai International airport," said Bill Urban, spokesperson for the US Central Command.

The official US Central Command statement said, "Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material."

US officials claimed they are not aware of any resultant civilian casualties, but remain "vigilant for potential future threats."

Earlier in the day, the Taliban had stated that a US airstrike targeted a suicide bomber in a vehicle on the way to Kabul airport on Sunday.

The strike on Sunday is the second one by America since the twin blasts near Kabul airport on Thursday that killed over 180 people. On Saturday, a strike in Nangarhar province killed an Islamic State member believed to be involved in planning attacks against the United States in Kabul. The strike killed one person, spokesman Navy Capt William Urban had said.

The Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate, dubbed Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, had claimed responsibility for the blasts on Thursday. After the deadly blasts, US President Joe Biden had vowed to "hunt" down the terrorists and make them "pay".

ROCKET STRIKES NEIGHBOURHOOD NEAR AIRPORT

Apart from the US military strike, an explosion also took place in Kabul on Sunday when a rocket struck a residential house in the Gulai area of Khajeh Baghra near the airport. According to The Afghanistan Times, six people including a child were killed and some others were injured.

TERROR THREAT AMID FINAL PHASE OF EVACUATION

With August 31 as the deadline, the US evacuation mission in Kabul has reached its final phase.

Earlier on Sunday, US President Joe Biden had warned about a credible security threat amid the evacuations at Kabul airport, saying another terrorist attack was “highly likely” in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Following that, the US State Department urged all Americans in the vicinity of the Kabul airport to leave the area immediately because of the threat.

Evacuations from Afghanistan have been conducted speedily since the Taliban took control of Kabul and former Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani fled the nation on August 15.