New Delhi: The United States today carried out drone strikes against an Islamic State ‘planner’ in Afghanistan.
The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan, and the target was a planner of the Islamic State-Khorasan, the group which claimed credit for the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport. At the same time, the United States also called for all of its citizens to leave Kabul airport gates immediately.
“The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target,” said Captain Bill Urban of the Central Command. “We know of no civilian casualties,” he added in a statement.
US forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on Friday after at least one Islamic State suicide bomber killed around 200 people including 13 US soldiers outside the gates of Kabul airport.
The ISIS-K planner was suspected of being involved in plotting future attacks, but had no direct link to Thursday’s assault in Kabul, according to a US official speaking to the Bloomberg news agency on the condition of anonymity. He added that the target, traveling in a vehicle, was killed by a Reaper drone.