Another U.S. Military Drone Strike Kills Suicide Bombers in Afghanistan, Official Says

The U.S. military on Sunday launched another drone strike that killed multiple suicide bombers onboard a vehicle before they could allegedly attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul's international airport in Afghanistan.

A Defense Department official confirmed the report. The U.S. continues with its effort to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies out of the South Asian country.

The said vehicle reportedly carried multiple suicide bombers from the ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan. According to Associated Press, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the vehicle also carried "a substantial amount of explosive material."

"We are confident we successfully hit the target," Urban noted, adding that a secondary explosion from the vehicle was an indication of the presence of the explosives. The U.S. initially reported that two Islamic State group individuals, who were targeted, were killed.

The drone strike from the military came as the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan announced earlier on Sunday a "specific credible threat" to the airport area, where the suicide bombing happened on Thursday, victimizing some U.S. troops and Afghan nationals.

Drone Strike From the U.S. Military Affects Civilians

Despite the successful drone strike operation, civilians from the area where the strike happened were reportedly affected.

According to the New York Times, unnamed Afghans said that the drone strike killed several civilians. Witnesses noted that the strike targeted two car parks located in a residential building near the airport.

A witness named Dina Mohammadi told Associated Press that her extended family resided in the said building and that some of her kin were killed in the attack, including children. The witness did not provide details regarding the names of the casualties.

Meanwhile, district representative Karim claimed that the drone strike started a fire that made it challenging to rescue people from the said building. Karim said he took some of the children and women out of the building.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed that there were casualties in the drone strike. Mujahid noted that they were investigating the reason for the airstrike and the total number of deaths.

Although the death toll of the strike was still unclear, an Afghan official confirmed that three children were reported to be killed in the incident.

Military Conducts Airstrike in Nangahar, Afghanistan

The U.S. carried has already out a drone strike in Nangahar, Afghanistan on Saturday.

The Pentagon said the U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation on that day. The Pentagon added that two high-profile ISIS-K targets were killed and injured another.

There were reportedly no civilians affected by the airstrike ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and was authorized by President Joe Biden.

The airstrikes were against the ISIS-K, whose suicide bombing at the Kabul airport Thursday killed at least 170 individuals, including 13 American service members.

As the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan comes to a close, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday that as many as 250 Americans remain in the South Asian country, while 280 were still contemplating if they want to stay or leave the nation.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: U.S. Says Drone Kills Suicide Bombers Targeting Kabul Airport - From Al Jazeera English