Biden warns another Kabul attack 'highly likely' in next 24-36 hours
President Biden on Saturday released a statement warning that the situation on the ground at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport remains "extremely dangerous" as the United States nears its evacuation deadline.
Just two days ago, a suicide bomb attack allegedly carried out by the Islamic State took place outside an airport gate, killing nearly 200 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members (whose names were released by the Pentagon on Saturday; their ages ranged from 20 to 31). Now, Biden said commanders in the field told him another attack is "highly likely in the next 24-36 hours." In response, he "directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection, and ensured that they have all the authorities, resources, and plans to protect our men and women on the ground."
Biden also said the retaliatory strike that the U.S. military confirmed had killed two "high-profile" ISIS targets on Friday won't be the last. "We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay," he said.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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