US drone strike ‘kills’ ISIS-K planner in Afghanistan

Washington, Aug 28: The US military claims to have killed the alleged planner of the Kabul airport bombing, striking back at the terror outfit in less than 48 hours after a suicide bombing claimed by the group killed 169 Afghans and 13 American soldiers.

It comes after US President Joe Biden vowed to strike back against IS-K after the attack. The airstrike comes in less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport on Thursday.

"US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target," Capt Bill Urban, spokesperson of US Central Command, said on Friday.

"We know of no civilian casualties," he said.

However, it wasn''t immediately known if the ISIS-K planner was involved specifically in Thursday''s Kabul airport attack, claimed by the Islamic State''s Afghanistan affiliate -- Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K.

The US airstrike came a day after President Biden vowed to "hunt" down the terrorists and make them "pay" for the Kabul airport attack and ordered his commanders to develop plans to strike back at them.

"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm notice, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command," Biden had said in his remarks at the White House on Thursday.

With PTI inputs