Taliban to face retaliation as U.S warns of more attacks

After the deadly Taliban attack outside the airport, the United States retaliated by attacking an Islamic State planner in Afghanistan and stated that there was a high risk of blasts increasing in the future as the evacuation process goes on. 

Though a US official confirmed on Saturday that the target of its overnight drone strike was not believed to be a senior Islamic State militant, and did not rule out future action against the group.

As the deadline nears, the US is speeding up the process of evacuation in Kabul. As of Saturday, there were fewer than 4,000 U.S. troops at Kabul airport, the US official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters, down from 5,800 at the peak of the evacuation mission. 

The blast the took place on Thursday caused a bloodbath outside the gates of the airport where thousands of Afghans were gathered to try to get a flight out since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.
 
The attack killed many including 13 US service members which was also the most lethal attack on US troops saw in a decade in Afghanistan. 

After the attack, US president, Joe Biden assured the country that it would after the perpetrators and that no one will be spared. The overnight drone attack had taken place in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul and bordering Pakistan.

The United States and allies have taken about 111,900 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks, the Pentagon has said. US officials said another attack against the Kabul airport was a near certainty, and there were fears that it could be more destructive than Thursday’s attack. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans to avoid the airport and said those at its gates should leave immediately. 

(Agency Inputs)