We Will Not Forgive, We Will Hunt You Down & Make You Pay: Biden to Kabul attackers – ISIS Claims Responsibility
WASHINGTON: Biden vowed to go after the perpetrators of Thursday’s bombing and said he had ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility. “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said during televised comments from the White House.
General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said U.S. commanders were on alert for more attacks by Islamic State, including possibly rockets or vehicle-borne bombs targeting the airport. “We’re doing everything we can to be prepared,” he said.
ALSO READ: More Than 100 People, Including at Least 13 U.S. Service Members Killed in Kabul Airport Attack
While, President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day’s deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport.
Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed the Americans and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country. He asked for a moment of silence to honor the service members, bowing his head, and ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country.
“We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing,” Biden said. “These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.”
While The Wall Street Journal reports that, More than 100 people were killed, including at least 13 U.S. service members and 90 Afghans, at the Kabul airport Thursday when two blasts ripped through crowds trying to enter the American-controlled facility, disrupting the final push of the U.S.-led evacuation effort.
(With Inputs From Agencies)