WASHINGTON, USA
United States President, Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day’s deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport.
He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed
in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: “We will hunt you down
and make you pay.”
Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the
Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that
killed the Americans and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no
evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country.
He asked for a moment of silence to honor the service members,
bowing his head, and ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country.
As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, “We have some
reason to believe we know who they are ... not certain.” He said he had
instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS “assets,
leadership and facilities.”
Gen. Frank McKenzie, the U.S. Central Command chief, said more
attempted attacks were expected.
The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out many attacks on
civilian targets in the country in recent years. It is far more radical than
the Taliban, who seized power less than two weeks ago. The most heralded
American attack on the group came in April 2017 when the U.S. dropped the
largest conventional bomb in its arsenal on an IS cave and tunnel complex. The
group more recently is believed to have concentrated in urban areas, which
could complicate U.S. efforts to target them without harming civilians.
“We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the
place of our choosing,” Biden said. “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.”
Biden said U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan had told him
it is important to complete the evacuation mission. “And we will,” he said. “We
will not be deterred by terrorists.”
Indeed, Gen. McKenzie, who is overseeing the evacuation
operation from his Florida headquarters, told a Pentagon news conference
shortly before Biden spoke, “Let me be clear, while we are saddened by the loss
of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we are continuing to execute the mission.” He
said there were about 5,000 evacuees on the airfield Thursday awaiting flights.
As many as 1,000 Americans and many more Afghans are still
struggling to get out of Kabul. - AP
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