President Joe Biden is vowing to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport.
Biden promised to avenge the deaths of 13 US service members killed in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.” Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the Thursday 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.
Biden asked for a moment of silence to honour the service members, bowing his head, and ordered US flags to half-staff across the country. As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, “We have some reason to believe we know who they are … not certain.” He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS “assets, leadership and facilities.”
