The United States (US) launched drone strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan during the weekend in retaliation to Thursday’s suicide bombings outside the Kabul airport. As per reports, the strikes resulted in several civilian casualties, including children.
On Sunday, the US military said it targeted a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” who had explosive material and planned to attack the American forces and Afghan civilians at the Kabul airport. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the attack was “imminent” and therefore, the strike was a “self-defence” manoeuvre. “We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material,” it added.
The US military conducted a similar strike on an ISIS-K planner on Friday. “The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan,” CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Bill Urban said, adding that the target was killed in the attack.
Moreover, the US said that the drone strikes might have caused “additional casualties” apart from ISIS-K militants. “We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul today,” Urban said, adding that the US is “still assessing the results” of the strike. Urban claimed that the strike resulted in “substantial and powerful subsequent explosions […] indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties.”
Afghan witnesses told news agencies that the strike killed at least nine civilians, including children, and injured several others. Additionally, on Monday, CNN reported that, as per an Afghan source, the drone strike killed nine members of one Afghan family, including six children.
The strikes were conducted after US President Joe Biden vowed to “hunt” down those responsible for the Kabul airport bombings that killed almost 200 people, including 13 American soldiers. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks.
ISIS-K, an Islamic State (IS) affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was formed in 2014. Its members include militants who left both the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban to pledge allegiance to IS. The group is responsible for bombings, public executions, killings of tribal leaders, and closing down schools. The Taliban also see ISIS-K as a regional rival and a challenger to its dominance in Afghanistan.
Sunday’s strike comes two days before Biden’s August 31 deadline to complete the withdrawal of American forces in Afghanistan. As the deadline nears, US troops are conducting frantic airlifting operations to evacuate American citizens and desperate Afghan civilians. Washington said approximately 300 US citizens remain in Afghanistan, and forces are working hard to ensure that they are “evacuated safely and effectively.”