The Central Command of the US Armed Forces announced a special operation against a militant of the Islamic State group (IS; terrorist organization, banned in Russia), who, as noted, could have been the organizer of the bombings at the Kabul airport, Reuters reports.
The strike was carried out with a drone in the province of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan.
“According to initial estimates, we destroyed the target. We do not know about the killed and wounded among the civilian population, ”the military said.
On August 26, terrorists attacked people and military personnel of Western countries being evacuated from the Kabul airport. According to media reports, the first explosion was due to a suicide bomber, followed by shooting, and then there was a second explosion, presumably a mined car. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. US President Joe Biden, commenting on the terrorist attacks, threatened their organizers with “retribution.”
The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova, in turn, noted that there were no Russians at the time of the explosions at the Kabul airport. Shortly before this, a source close to the Russian Defense Ministry told Vedomosti about the evacuation of about 500 people from Kabul, including both Russians and citizens of other countries, including Ukraine.
The situation in Afghanistan escalated after the Taliban came to power in the country on August 15 (the movement is recognized as terrorist and is prohibited in Russia). The militants gained control over Kabul and all provinces, except for Panjshir, where the resistance forces are concentrated. The seizure of power came more than two months after Biden initiated the final withdrawal of American troops from the country at the end of May this year. They have been there for almost 20 years – since October 2001.
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