'The Next Few Days of This Mission Will Be The Most Dangerous'
Another terrorist attack called likely
The enormous airlift operation underway in Afghanistan to evacuate US and Afghan citizens is continuing despite the heightened danger posed by further terrorist attacks after Thursday's twin bombings outside of the airport in Kabul, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Meanwhile, US military commanders are developing potential targets for American retaliation against the terrorists from a group known as ISIS-K, which was responsible for the bombings which killed 13 US service members and at least 60 Afghan nationals, Psaki added in a statement Friday.
“The President met this morning in the Situation Room with his national security team, including our commanders and diplomats in the field. The Vice President joined by secure video teleconference,” Psaki said in the statement. “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.”
The US government has evacuated more than 88,000 US and Afghan citizens since the end of July. The US military and others involved in the airlift operations are trying to complete the evacuation by a Taliban-imposed deadline of August 31.
And “even in the face of those [heightened] threats, our courageous service women and men are continuing to operate a historic evacuation operation,” Psaki said.
“The U.S. military is airlifting out thousands of people every few hours. They continue to prioritize evacuating the remaining American citizens who have indicated that they wish to leave, and are engaged in a variety of means to get them to the airport safely,” she added. “The President directed the Secretary of State to continue diplomatic efforts with international partners to secure means for third-country nationals and Afghans with visas to leave the country even after the U.S. military presence ends.”
Furthermore, the US military is developing plans to retaliate for Thursday's bombings.
“Yes, if we can find who’s associated with this, we will go after them. We’ve been clear all along that we’re going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan and we are working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who is associated with this cowardly attack and we’re prepared to take action against them. 24/7 we are looking for them,” Gen Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, said in a separate interview.
Nor will ISIS stand in the way of completing the evacuation, McKenzie added.
“Please remember that we have screened over 104,000 people. Finally, I’d like to offer my profound condolences to the families of our service men and women and Afghan civilians who lost their lives today,” he said in Thursday. “We have put more than 5,000 U.S. service members at risk to save as many civilians as we can. It’s a noble mission. And today we have seen firsthand how dangerous that mission is. ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing the mission, I can assure you of that.
“All Americans can and should be proud of the men and women of the Armed Forces who are facing these dangers head on with their international partners and all our other friends that are with us. And we appreciate your thoughts and prayers for all our service members who were carrying on this mission today,” he said.
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