[BREAKING] U.S. Military Launches Airstrike Against ISIS-K in Afghanistan, Killing Intended Target
The U.S. military has conducted an airstrike against members of the Islamic State in Afghanistan on Saturday, the Pentagon said.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban provided the details of the airstrike in a statement.
"U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner," Urban said.
Urban noted that the "unmanned airstrike" occurred in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan. He said the initial indications showed that they killed the target.
Urban added that they were no civilian casualties. A defense official told the Associated Press that President Joe Biden authorized the drone strike, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered it.
U.S. Military Airstrike in Afghanistan
The airstrike happened after President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he instructed the Pentagon to create a plan to strike the assets, leadership, and facilities of the ISIS-K, Axios reported.
It also came amid what the White House called indications that Islamic State planned to strike again as the U.S. continues evacuations before the August 31 deadline.
The president has vowed to locate the group responsible for the two attacks outside the Kabul airport on Thursday, which killed 170 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel.
Joe Biden said the U.S. would not be intimidated by the attacks and would continue the process of withdrawing from the capital.
Reports said the president was warned Friday to expect another lethal attack in the final days of U.S. evacuation in Afghanistan. White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that the president's national security team had offered a grim outlook.
Joe Biden Identifies ISIS-K
The airstrike happened 48 hours after the Kabul airport explosions. The Pentagon earlier said that a suicide bomber detonated an explosion in a crowd waiting near the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Since Kabul fell to the Taliban, thousands of people have gathered daily at the airport's gates, desperate to board flights out of Afghanistan. The Pentagon said the second explosion struck the nearby Baron Hotel.
Joe Biden earlier named the fighters from the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS Khorasan or ISIS-K, as the ones responsible for the attacks outside Kabul airport.
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Written: By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: U.S. Airstrike Targets Islamic State Member in Afghanistan - From FOX 11 Los Angeles