Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC
Published August 27, 2021
The Center Square [By Casey Harper] –
Hours after U.S. service members were killed and at least 15 wounded in terrorist bombings in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from the country and told those responsible for Thursday’s attack: “We will hunt you down.”
“I will also order my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities,” Biden said in a televised speech to the nation. “We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place that we choose, at the moment of our choosing.”
At least 13 members of the U.S. military were killed in the bombings at the airport in Kabul, where thousands have been attempting to escape the country. ISIS-K, the Islamic State in Khorasan, is believed to be behind Thursday’s attacks.
The Taliban, an Islamic militant organization, took control of much of Afghanistan just days after Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops after 20 years of war in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Biden has been widely criticized for the quick withdrawal and the chaotic evacuation of U.S. citizens and others from Afghanistan.
Biden said the U.S. has “some reason to believe we know who they are” when referring to the attackers, adding “we’re not certain.”
The president said he was willing to authorize more troops if military officials needed it and defended relying on the Taliban to keep the Kabul airport where the attacks occurred secure. The Taliban and ISIS-K publicly say they are enemies.
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Biden also praised the heroism of those killed and wounded in Thursday’s attack.
“They were heroes,” Biden said. “Heroes who’ve been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.”
Also on Thursday, General Kenneth McKenzie said ISIS-K is expected to continue their attacks.
“The threat from ISIS is very real,” he said. “We have been talking about this for several days. We saw it actually manifest itself here the last few hours with an actual attack. We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect the attacks to continue. We are doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks.”
McKenzie also said there are more than 1,000 Americans remaining in Afghanistan and that U.S. forces had so far screened more than 100,000 people attempting to evacuate the nation, which was taken over by the Taliban within only a few days.
“Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens, nationals, special immigrant visa holders, embassy staff, and Afghans at risk,” McKenzie said. “Despite the attack, we are continuing the mission. There are approximately 5,000 documents awaiting airlift. We have evacuated more than … over 66,000 from the United States and 37,000 by our allies. That includes bringing out about 5,000 Americans.”
Military personnel have screened more than 104,000 people attempting to evacuate the country.
“Yesterday, we brought in over 500 American citizens,” McKenzie said. “It would be difficult to overestimate a number of unusual challenges and demands our forces on the ground face. The threats to our forces particularly from ISIS is real, as we have seen.”
Former Trump administration national security adviser H.R. McMaster told Yahoo News that Biden should “reverse course” on the U.S. evacuation deadline.
“What we saw today is just the beginning,” McMaster said. “We are going to see horrible image after horrible image. … We’re going to confront the steady drumbeat of horrors inflicted on the Afghan people. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to give a damn?”
The attacks came after the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan issued a public warning that Americans should not gather outside the Kabul airport. The Taliban has reportedly been harassing and attacking those attempting to access the airport and has publicly said they do not want Afghan nationals to leave the country.
“Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,” the embassy said.
Other nations are coordinating with the U.S. and working to keep as many safe as possible.
“Our primary concern remains the safety of our personnel, British citizens and the citizens of Afghanistan,” the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence said. “We are in close contact with our US and other NATO allies at an operational level on the immediate response to this incident.”
About the Author:
Casey Harper, The Center Square D.C. Bureau Reporter – charper@centersquare.com ~ Casey Harper is a Senior Reporter for the Washington, D.C. Bureau. He previously worked for The Daily Caller, The Hill, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Casey’s work has also appeared in Fox News, Fox Business, and USA Today.
2 Responses
What a weasel. A few days ago. Got banned from Facebook for a month asking the question
” all people taking flights look like terrorist”
Once our Troops are out of Afghanistan, leaving Americans and loyals behind. Biden is just blowing smoke, nothing will happen…get real. This has been a botched withdrawal and we will have to realize that “No Man left behind ” is a thing of the past, replacing it with “Acceptable Losses”. Biden’s talking heads will try to lie but this is a blow to America and all of our Noble Troops and Afghanistan loyals have been betrayed.