A U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan on Sunday killed “multiple suicide bombers” in a car loaded with explosives, according to government officials.
The attack came in response to an “imminent” threat from the Afghan branch of the ISIS terrorist group, known as ISIS-K, U.S. officials said.
It was not immediately clear if the vehicle was meant to be used as a car bomb or as transportation for an attack.
Kabul’s airport — the scene of frantic evacuation efforts ahead of the Tuesday deadline for U.S. troops to leave the country — was believed to be the intended target, according to the U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM.
“We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material,” military spokesman Capt. Bill Urban was quoted as saying by CNN.
A U.S. drone strike on Sunday targeted an “imminent ISIS-K threat” to the airport in Kabul, where officials have warned of additional attacks following a suicide bombing last week.
A U.S. drone strike on Sunday targeted an “imminent ISIS-K threat” to the airport in Kabul, where officials have warned of additional attacks following a suicide bombing last week.
“We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time. We remain vigilant for potential future threats,” he added.
On Friday, the Pentagon said a drone strike killed two “high-profile” ISIS targets in retaliation for Thursday’s suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport. That attack killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans.
President Biden warned on Saturday that Kabul airport remained in terrorists’ sights as the U.S. continued its scramble to evacuate citizens and refugees out of the war-torn country.
Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday for the transfer of the remains of the 13 service members who were killed, and he was expected to be briefed on the drone strike after the roughly four-hour-long transfer.
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