In gruesome twin bomb attacks at Kabul airport 85 people have died inclduing US soldiers and Taliban members.
Two blasts and gunfire rocked the area outside the airport on Thursday evening, witnesses said.
Islamic State (ISIS), an enemy of the Taliban as well as the West, said one of its suicide bombers targeted “translators and collaborators with the American army”. US officials also blamed the group and vowed retribution.
General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said US commanders were on alert for more attacks by Islamic State, including possibly rockets or vehicle-borne bombs targeting the airport.
The ISIL (ISIS) group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq News Agency said on its Telegram channel.
US vows revenge:
Speaking after the attack on Kabul, US President Joe Biden promised to avenge the deaths, declaring to the extremists responsible: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS “assets, leadership and facilities.”
We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing,” Biden said, adding, “These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.”
Taliban condemns attack blames US for security lapse.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the Kabul airport blast. He said that US forces were responsible for the security of the area where the twin blasts took place.
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security. The Islamic Emirate is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people,” the spokesperson said.
Terming the twin blasts as a terrorist act, Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban had alerted the US and other western forces about a possible attack by the IS.
Turkey’s Haberturk television quoted a Taliban official saying that the blasts took place because of the presence of foreign forces. “As soon as the airport situation is figured out and the foreign forces leave, we will not have such attacks anymore,” a Taliban official has been quoted by the Turkish channel.
(Inputs Al jazeera, HT)
(Featured image: Reuters)