Biden warns another terror attack in Afghanistan 'highly likely': LIVE UPDATES
The U.S. launched a retaliatory strike against Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate on Friday, taking out the target a day after the Kabul airport was hit by two suicide bombings. The terrorist attack left 13 U.S. service members and close to 200 Afghans dead.
Coverage for this event has ended.
The failure of the Biden administration to name the two Islamic State terrorists killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Friday has led some experts to conclude they were not high-value targets.
In a press conference Saturday, Major Gen. William Taylor only referred to the dead targets as a "planner" and "facilitator," and would not say if they played specific roles in the airport suicide attack Thursday that killed 13 American soldiers and 169 Afghans. Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, was behind the attack.
"Normally if they get a high-profile guy they like to name him," retired US Army Lt. Col Brian F. Sullivan told The Post.
Due to a "specific, credible threat," the US Embassy in Afghanistan has sent a security alert out to American citizens at Kabul airport warning them to leave the area immediately.
"Due to a specific, credible threat, all U.S. citizens in the vicinity of Kabul airport (HKIA), including the South (Airport Circle) gate, the new Ministry of the Interior, and the gate near the Panjshir Petrol station on the northwest side of the airport, should leave the airport area immediately," the Embassy wrote in a statement posted online.
"U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid all airport gates at this time," the post added.
Similar alerts were shared on Wednesday and Friday from the Embassy, however the latest alert notes a "specific, credible threat."
Congressional leadership of both the House and Senate veterans affairs committees are expressing concern with the steep rise in calls to the Veterans Crisis Line in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and recent bombing at the Kabul airport, killing 13 U.S. service members.
Over 800,000 Americans have served in Afghanistan since October 2001, according to the Pentagon, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says calls to the Veterans Crisis Line increased as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.
The Veterans Crisis Line is reporting an average daily volume increase of 6% for calls, 83% for texts, and 40% for chat messages since Aug. 13. However, some of the increased volume is due to broader promotion of the line as a catch-all resource and individuals who are not in crisis using it as a way to show general support for veterans or seek options to donate to relief efforts.
Amid ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, Tim Kennedy – a Green Beret, Special Forces sniper, and Army Ranger – spoke with Fox News about his experience in Kabul after rescuing more than 8,900 individuals and discussed the "horrors of people getting to the airport."
"We had a very clear mission in who we were trying to identify and get out and American citizens were number one," said Kennedy, who spent three days in the country assisting with evacuation missions and working to "identify high value targets of the Taliban that needed to be rescued."
"It was a landscape and a battlefield that was something that I had never experienced before and it was absolute mayhem," Kennedy told Fox News.
UK Armed Forces have departed from Kabul, according to UK Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace.
Wallace shared the news on Twitter, telling soldiers that the "UK should be very proud of what you have done."
"Every one of you have displayed the highest levels of professionalism and bravery," Wallace said. "You have helped thousands to get to a better future and safety. Thank you."
The office of the Misistry of Defence also highlighted the UK's withdrawal, writing in a tweet that "the final flight carrying UK Armed Forces personnel has left Kabul."
"To all those who served so bravely under enormous pressure and horrendous conditions to safely evacuate the most vulnerable of civilians: Thank you," the office added.
An estimated 3,500 American troops remain stationed in Afghanistan ahead the Aug. 31 deadline, which is being strictly enforced by the Taliban.
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui was among 13 service members killed in Afghanistan earlier this week as the result of a suicide bomber at the Kabul airport. Lance Cpl. Nikoui's father, Steve Nikoui joined "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Friday to discuss his son's service in Afghanistan and the aftermath of his death.
Nikoui said he and his family were devastated by the news of his son's death, but that his wife, particularly, was "doing the best that she can considering the circumstances."
Their entire family, Nikoui said, was worried about the situation in Afghanistan during the final days of the United States’ presence in the country.
A terror attack outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan left 11 Marines, one Army soldier and a Navy corpsman dead Thursday, injuring 20 more service members and inflicting even more carnage on Afghan civilians.
The service members were holding the airport as the Biden administration rushes to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies from the country following a swift Taliban offensive reclaimed the country.
The ISIS-K terror group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing seeking to disrupt the massive evacuation effort of Americans, Afghan allies and third-party nationals outside the U.S.-held airport.
The Pentagon appeared to break with the State Department on Saturday on the relationship between the Haqqani network and the Taliban -- conceding that there was "co-mingling" after the State Dept. had called them separate entities.
The network’s leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is deputy leader of the Taliban and his uncle Khalil Haqqani was placed in charge of security in Kabul after the militants seized the city last week.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby was asked by Fox News about whether the U.S. considered the Taliban and the Haqqani network "separate entities."
State Dept. Press Secretary Ned Price had described them as such the day before when asked if the security coordination with the Taliban extended to the Haqqani network.
"No, it does not," Price said on Friday. "The Taliban and the Haqqani Network are separate entities."
On Saturday, Kirby initially said he wasn’t going to offer a characterization of the Taliban or Haqqani. He was then pressed on the fact Haqqani is deputy leader of the Taliban and also has a $10 million bounty on his head.
"We know that there is a certain amount of commingling here. I mean, there's a marbling, if you will, of Taliban and Haqqani," he said, but said he was pushing back on the relevance of that to the evacuation out of Kabul.
About 350 American citizens are still trying to leave Afghanistan in the final days of the U.S. withdrawal effort that's been marred by a deadly terrorist attack and a Taliban takeover.
A State Department spokesperson said Saturday at least 5,400 Americans have been safely evacuated since Aug. 14, including nearly 300 U.S. citizens within the last day.
But another 350 Americans remain in Afghanistan and have informed the State Department they want to get out.
The State Department said they are providing "assistance around the clock" to these citizens seeking to evacuate.
President Biden on Saturday warned that another terrorist attack in Afghanistan in the next 24-36 hours is "highly likely" -- as he promised to continue to pursue the group responsible for Thursday’s attack that killed 13 U.S. troops.
"The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high," Biden said in a statement. "Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours."
"I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection, and ensured that they have all the authorities, resources and plans to protect our men and women on the ground. They assured me that they did, and that they could take these measures while completing the mission and safely retrograding our personnel," he said.
The White House has just released the following statement from President Biden, in which he warns that another terror attack in Kabul is "highly likely" in the next 24-36 hours.
"This morning, I met with my national security team in Washington and my commanders in the field. We discussed the strike that U.S. forces took last night against the terrorist group ISIS-K in Afghanistan. I said we would go after the group responsible for the attack on our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we have. This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay. Whenever anyone seeks to harm the United States or attack our troops, we will respond. That will never be in doubt. I thanked General McKenzie for his leadership of that mission, and for his commitment to the safety of our troops in Afghanistan.
The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high. Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection, and ensured that they have all the authorities, resources and plans to protect our men and women on the ground. They assured me that they did, and that they could take these measures while completing the mission and safely retrograding our personnel.
Despite the treacherous situation in Kabul, we are continuing to evacuate civilians. Yesterday, we brought out another 6,800 people, including hundreds of Americans. And today, we discussed the ongoing preparations to help people continue to leave Afghanistan after our military departs.
The 13 service members that we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our highest American ideals and while saving the lives of others. Their bravery and selflessness has enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to reach safety thus far. May God protect our troops and all those standing watch in these dangerous days."
An offshoot of the Islamic State accused of orchestrating the deadly suicide attack outside the Kabul airport this week emerged six years ago, despite U.S.-led military efforts to crush the group – and it has rapidly transformed into a dangerous global terror threat.
The group, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province or ISIS-K, is an Afghan affiliate of the group's core leadership in Syria and Iraq. After the Islamic State lost its territory following a five-year military campaign by local and international forces, the caliphate increasingly turned to Afghanistan for its fighters.
U.S. officials said 3,500 U.S. troops remain at Kabul airport just days before the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
The U.S. military had about 5,800 troops on the ground earlier this week.
President Biden rejected extending his Aug. 31 deadline of withdrawing troops, and said this week, "The sooner we can finish, the better."
The State Department said that at least 5,400 Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan since Aug. 14.
Nearly 300 of those Americans were rescued in the last day, a State Department spokesperson said. Approximately 350 Americans are still seeking to evacuate from the country, and they are the only Americans who U.S. officials can currently confirm want to leave.
U.S. officials have also been in communication with 280 additional individuals who self-identified as Americans in Afghanistan. Those individuals, however, have no confirmed they want to leave Afghanistan or have said they don't plan on leaving.
Taliban fighters pose for photograph in Wazir Akbar Khan in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
The Pentagon said that the Taliban and Haqqani network are "commingling," despite the State Department calling the groups "separate entities" earlier this week.
"We know that there are there is a certain amount of matter of of commingling here. I mean, there's marbling, if you will, of Taliban and Haqqani," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Saturday during a press conference.
Kirby's comment comes after State Dept. spokesman Ned Price was questioned Friday if U.S. coordination on security with the Taliban also included the Haqqani network.
“The Taliban and the Haqqani Network are separate entities," Price said.
The Pentagon announced Saturday that the U.S. strike targeting ISIS-K terrorists took out two high-profile "planners and facilitators" in response to the suicide bombing at Kabul Airport that killed 13 American soldiers and dozens of Afghans.
Major General Hank Taylor told reporters that the over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation killed "two high profile" ISIS-K targets and wounded another. The Pentagon had initially announced that only one target had been killed on Friday evening, but since then more information had come in.
Click here to read more on Fox News
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has flagged some incoming Afghan evacuees as a "concern" as part of the vetting and screening process at military bases around the world.
Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FBI and State Department spoke on a call Friday about the status of vetting and relocation efforts for Afghan citizens fleeing the country after the Taliban assumed control of Kabul. The Biden administration has touted how thorough the process is, but until yesterday had remained closed-lipped about the number of incoming evacuees the process has flagged.
"It’s exactly why CBP conducted careful and thorough vetting," Keri Brady, assistant director at CBP’s National Targeting Center, said during a call in a transcript obtained by ABC News.
Click here to read more on Fox News
The final U.K. evacuation flight for Afghan nationals has left Kabul, according to Britain’s defense ministry.
It is "time to close this phase of the operation now,” Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, said in a video he posted to Twitter Saturday morning. He added that, "our commitment to the people of Afghanistan will endure."
“But we haven’t forgotten the people who still need to leave,” he said. “We’ll continue to do everything we can to help them. Nor have we forgotten the brave, decent people of Afghanistan. They deserve to live in peace and security.”
About 6,800 people were evacuated from Kabul between 3 a.m. Aug. 27 to 3 a.m. Aug. 28, a White House official said.
Thirty-two U.S. military flights, 27 C-17s and five C-130s, carried approximately 4,000 of the evacuees, while 34 coalition flights carried 2,800 people.
All in since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or helped evacuate about 111,900 people. That number jumps to about 117,500 people when looking at evacuations from the end of July.
Evacuees from Afghanistan queue in line after arriving at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Fiumicino early Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.
The last Italian flight out of Kabul landed Saturday morning at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome with 58 Afghans. The flight took 17 hours, including a stopover.
Also aboard were Italy’s consul and a NATO diplomat who had coordinated evacuations at the Kabul airport.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the country would work with the United Nations and other Middle Eastern countries to help facilitate the evacuation of Afghans who worked with Italy in Afghanistan who weren't able to get onto the evacuation flights.
Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
American forces pressed on with evacuations from Kabul's airport Friday, a day after suicide bombings left 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans dead.
With the potential for another attack, U.S. service members helping to get Americans and Afghans who allied themselves with the U.S. during the war worked under heightened security.
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland and Ralph Norman of South Carolina formally announced impeachment articles against Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, with Harris saying in a statement Afghanistan has become an "unmitigated catastrophe [and] preventable tragedy [that] rests solely on the shoulders of President Biden and his administration, and in particular the Secretary of State."
"We are the most powerful nation on the planet, and we must make clear to the Taliban that we will stay to get our people out as long as that takes.
Secretary Blinken’s complete and utter failure of managing this avoidable catastrophe makes him unfit for leadership, and I hope my colleagues will join me in pushing for his removal," wrote Dr. Harris, who represents Elkton and the Eastern Shore.
Click here to read more on Fox News
The United States military has carried out a drone strike against an alleged ISIS-K "planner" following a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed 13 American soldiers and at least 70 Afghans.
"U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner," U.S. Central Command Spokesman Captain Bill Urban told Fox News on Friday.
"The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties.
"Fox News has confirmed that the drone hit a vehicle carrying an ISIS-K leader who was believed to be "carrying out future attacks."
Click here to read more on Fox News
Live Coverage begins here