U.S. government and military officials are concerned about the possibility of a second terrorist attack in or around the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where troops are working to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies who would be in danger under the Taliban regime.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described “specific credible threats” against the U.S. forces stationed at the airport during Friday’s morning briefing, approximately 24 hours after an ISIS-K operative detonated a suicide vest killing more than a dozen U.S. soldiers, more than 100 people in all, and wounding countless others.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s national security team briefed the president and vice president on Friday morning about a possible second attack, which she characterized as a “likely” occurrence.
“They advised the President and Vice President that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul Airport,” she said in a statement.
“The threat is ongoing, and it is active … our troops are still in danger,” Psaki said during Friday’s press briefing, which occurred shortly after she shared the statement with the press.
CENTCOM Cmdr. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie also warned that the military “believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue,” during Thursday’s Pentagon briefing. “If we can find out who is associated with this, we will go after them.”
Pentagon officials declined to answer questions about the specifics of the attack on Friday, though they amended previous reports noting that there was only one blast outside the airport on Thursday, which was followed up with other terrorists opening fire.
Biden vowed to hold those responsible for the attack accountable during his press conference on Thursday, saying, “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: we will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay.”
The U.S. commanders are working on plans to target ISIS-K, Psaki added in her statement, noting that, “The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date.”
Biden also reaffirmed his commitment to the Tuesday withdrawal date that he set months ago. With more than 110,000 people having been evacuated since the beginning of the month, there were concerns that others would not be able to make it out in time unless the deadline was extended, though the administration has said every American who wants to leave would be able to do so.
