U.S President Joe Biden, in his first statement after the Kabul attacks, issued a warning to those responsible for the killing of more than 60 people near Kabul airport Thursday, including a dozen US service members, saying, “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
Biden said he told his commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities.
The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the attacks outside the Kabul airport when two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport on Thursday, killing at least 60 Afghans and 12 US troops, Afghan and US officials said.
The IS branch, known as The Islamic State-Khorasan Province after a name for the region from antiquity, said in its statement of responsibility that it targeted American troops and their Afghan allies.
IS also said the bomber managed to get past Taliban security checkpoints to come within 5 meters (yards) of a gathering of US soldiers, translators and collaborators before detonating the explosives.
It is important to note that ISIS-K claims have not been verified independently yet.
Biden stated there is no evidence so far of any collusion between the Taliban and ISIS carrying out the airport attack.
President Biden took responsibility for the tragedy that befell Americans in Kabul airport after the suicidal attacks. However, he took the opportunity to remind the nation that without his administration’s efforts in renegotiating the extension of the withdrawal deadline on May 1, which has been decided by the Trump administration, things could have been worse for American troops.
“I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that’s happened of late. Here’s the deal, you know that the former president made a deal with the Taliban to get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1,” Biden said. “Imagine where we’d be if I had indicated on May 1, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date. We were going to stay there. I had only one alternative, for thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war.”
However, at no point during his remarks, President Joe Biden considered keeping any US forces in Afghanistan past the Aug. 31 deadline. “We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation,” Biden said.
Biden still believes all US forces should be out by the end of the month because that is what his military commanders are advising will be best for the US in the short and long term. According to Press secretary Jen Psaki, finishing the military withdrawal in the Aug. 31 deadline will help the U.S get non-American partners out, who collaborated with the American forces in Afghanistan, after the 31st.
“There are several reasons for that [keeping the Aug 31 deadline]. One is the ongoing threats and the second that we want to be able to have the ability to get individuals out who have been partners of ours after the 31st and they believe the best way to do that is to stay on that timeline at this point in time,” she added.
During remarks on the attack in Afghanistan, President Biden held a moment of silence “for all those in uniform and out of uniform, military and civilian, of giving the last full measure of devotion.” Then he addressed the families of service members and Afghans, saying “My heart aches for you,” Biden added he could relate to the families’ loss, referring to his experience with losing his son Beau Biden, a military veteran who died of brain cancer after returning from serving in Iraq.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said flags would lower to half-staff on Thursday and will stay lowered until sunset on Aug. 30 “in honor of the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Kabul, Afghanistan.”
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