(VOVWORLD) - A US drone strike killed a suicide car bomber who Pentagon officials said was preparing to strike Kabul airport on Sunday, as American forces worked to complete a withdrawal that will end two decades of military involvement in Afghanistan.
 Taliban members patrol outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, 28 August 2021. (Photo: Stringer/EPA/EFE) |
The strike was the second by the US military since an Islamic State suicide bomb outside the airport on Thursday killed 13 US troops and scores of Afghan civilians.
The airport has been the scene of a massive airlift by US and allied forces evacuating their citizens and at-risk Afghans that is due to wind up ahead of a Tuesday deadline.
Officials said the strike targeted suspected militants from ISIS-K, a local affiliate of Islamic State that is an enemy of both the West and the Taliban movement.
US officials said they were particularly concerned about ISIS-K attacking the airport as American troops depart, in particular the threat from rockets and vehicle-borne explosives.