On Thursday, US President Joe Biden vowed to the perpetrators of the suicide attack that targeted Kabul airport, which killed 12 American soldiers and dozens of Afghan civilians, that the United States will “hunt ” them.
In a speech he gave at the White House, describing his country’s soldiers who were killed in this bombing as “heroes”, Biden said, “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay the price.”
Biden said that the United States would respond in Afghanistan “with force and precision” and talked about plans to strike terrorist centers there, stressing that the United States “will not be intimidated.”
The US President confirmed that the attack in Kabul was carried out by a group called “ISIS-Khorasan”, and said that a number of the perpetrators of the attack had been released from prisons.
The US President stressed that evacuations from Afghanistan will “continue” after the Kabul airport attack.
“The United States will not allow it to be intimidated,” he said. “We will not allow terrorists to discourage us. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue with the evacuations.”
In response to a reporter’s question about the possibility of collusion between the Taliban and the Islamic State in the attack, Biden said, “So far, I have not been provided with any evidence of collusion between the Taliban and the Islamic State.”
Twelve US soldiers were killed and 15 others wounded in the two suicide attacks at Kabul airport on Thursday, amid the evacuation of tens of thousands from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of it.
According to military sources, one of the explosions occurred near the Aby Gate, one of three airport access points crowded with thousands of Afghans hoping to be evacuated to escape the Taliban regime, according to AFP.
Security analysts indicated earlier, Thursday, that the activity of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province had stopped suddenly for 12 days, a possible indication that it was preparing for a large-scale operation, through mortar shells or suicide attacks with cars or individuals.
Western countries have warned of a possible attack on Kabul airport in recent days from the massive evacuation efforts.
