Three years after the deadly suicide bombing at Afghanistan’s Abbey Gate, which resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians, the network responsible—ISIS-K—has been significantly weakened but not completely eradicated, according to the Pentagon. Christopher Maier, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict, stated that “a lot of allied and partner disruptions” have reduced ISIS-K’s ability to carry out such attacks.
President Joe Biden had vowed retribution on the day of the bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and Maier confirmed that the US is actively working toward that promise, noting “significant dents” made in the network behind the attack. The tragic event, which occurred during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, has been a focal point for critics, particularly Republicans faulting Biden’s foreign policy. Former President Donald Trump criticized the withdrawal as a major humiliation for the US during a speech at the Republican National Convention.
The 2020 deal Trump brokered with the Taliban set the stage for the troop withdrawal that Biden later adjusted. Republicans continue to hold Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris accountable for the handling of the withdrawal.
Maier elaborated that the Abbey Gate attack likely involved more than one perpetrator supported by ISIS-K’s infrastructure. He emphasized that US partnerships with Central Asian countries, now more attuned to threats from Afghanistan, have been instrumental in disrupting further plots linked to this network, though he did not disclose the specific nations involved.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to release its review of the Afghanistan withdrawal early next month. For more detailed stories, visit bloomberg.com.
Original Story https://www.livemint.com/news/us-still-hunts-attackers-who-killed-americans-during-afghan-exit-11724440760550.html
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