U.S. Targets Islamic State Planner in Afghanistan Airstrike – WSJ

The U.S. strike came as the military on Friday began shifting operations at Kabul s international airport toward a final withdrawal, winding down the chaotic and bloody evacuation that airlifted more than 110,000 Americans, Afghans and others out of the country over the past two weeks.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Afghans picked their way through the carnage left behind by the previous day s deadly suicide bombing and gun attack outside the airport, in a last-ditch effort to flee Taliban rule. The death toll from the terrorist attack, one of the deadliest of the war, rose to nearly 200 Afghans, according to a senior health official. Thirteen U.S. service members were killed, and at least 15 were injured.

The Biden administration appeared poised to stick with its Tuesday deadline to pull the last of the nation s forces out of Afghanistan and end the 20-year war there.

The airstrike Saturday was pre-emptive in nature, a U.S. official said, coming after intelligence showed that the individual was planning another attack. Since Thursday s suicide bombing, U.S. officials have warned of other imminent threats.

We believe this terrorist was involved in planning future attacks in Kabul, the U.S. official said, without specifying how the U.S. reached that conclusion.

via www.wsj.com