The U.S. military says it carried out a drone strike against the ISIS Khurasan group in eastern Afghanistan, killing the "planner" of a terrorist attack on Kabul airport.
Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, said in a statement that "US forces today conducted an anti-terrorism operation against the mastermind of the ISIS Khurasan group."
"The drone strike was carried out in the Afghan province of Nangarhar, with initial indications that we killed the target, but we have not received any information about civilian casualties," he said.
The announcement did not specify a target, but indicated that it could be the first of several retaliatory actions against the ISIS Khurasan group.
It should be noted that more than 100 people, including 13 US military personnel and 22 Taliban fighters, were killed in the attacks on Kabul airport on Thursday.
The ISIS Khurasan group claimed responsibility for the attacks, prompting an immediate response from US President Joe Biden, who vowed to avenge the perpetrators in a speech to the nation on Thursday evening. ۔
"We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt them down and take revenge on them," he said.
Biden also ordered US military commanders to draw up an operational plan to attack ISIS Khorasan's assets, leadership and strongholds.
The attack on the airport was one of the deadliest in the 20-year US-led war in Afghanistan.
White House spokeswoman Jane Sackie told a news briefing Friday that the terrorists were planning another attack in Kabul.
"The threat is still there and our troops are still in danger," he said.
The attack on Kabul Airport has angered Americans who are already unhappy with the Biden administration since the Taliban took control of Kabul last week.
The U.S. embassy in Kabul on Friday night warned U.S. citizens at Kabul airport to leave immediately.
