U.S. Marines take a moment to rest at an evacuation checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2021.
US Marines | Reuters
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said in a statement on Saturday that his national security team had warned that an attack on the Kabul airport was “very likely in the next 24-36 hours.”
“The situation on the ground remains extremely dangerous and the risk of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high,” said Biden, adding that he had instructed US commanders “to take all possible measures to give priority to protecting the armed forces.”
The latest threat rating follows a US drone attack that killed two senior ISIS-K members.
“I said we would pursue the group responsible for attacking our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we did,” Biden said of the drone attack. “This strike was not the last,” he added. “We will continue to prosecute everyone involved in this heinous attack and make them pay,” the president said.
