US conducts military strike against ISIS-K planner

The U.S. military conducted a strike against an ISIS-K planner, the first known military action against the terrorist group since the suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and injured at least 170 Afghans.

Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement late Friday that military forces conducted an “over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner” in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan.

ISIS-K is based in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces east of Kabul.

“Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” Urban said.

ISIS-K militants claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, which occurred right outside Abbey Gate, which U.S. forces have used to evacuate civilians.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Friday also urged Americans near the gates to Hamid Karzai International Airport to “leave immediately,” citing “security threats.” 

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said in the alert posted late Friday.

Pentagon officials had clarified earlier in the day that a single attack had been carried out by a suicide bomber on Thursday, clarifying that a second bombing had not occurred near a hotel adjacent to the airfield as was initially reported.

The drone strike against the reported ISIS-K planner, which occurred early Saturday morning local time, comes after President Biden vowed on Thursday to target ISIS-K facilities “at the place we choose, in a moment of our choosing.” 

“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said.

Updated: Aug. 28 at 8:55 a.m.