- Pentagon says it killed IS-K attack planner in eastern Afghanistan
- France, Spain, and other countries finish evacuations from Kabul
- UK to end evacuation mission on Saturday
- US on high alert for further attacks after deadly Kabul airport bombing
This article was last updated at 7:51 UTC/GMT time. For coverage of yesterday’s events in Afghanistan see here.
UK to end Afghan evacuation mission on Saturday
British troops will end their evacuation operations in Afghanistan on Saturday, UK armed forces chief General Nick Carter said.
“We’re reaching the end of the evacuation, which will take place during the course of today. And then it will be necessary to bring our troops out on the remaining aircraft,” he told the BBC.
“We haven’t been able to bring everyone out, and that has been heart-breaking. And there have been some very challenging judgments that have had to be made on the ground.”
Last Italian flight with Afghan refugees arrives in Rome
Italy’s final evacuation flight carrying refugees from Afghanistan has landed at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport.
The Italian Air Force C-130J aircraft transported 58 Afghan citizens, Italy’s consul and a NATO diplomat who had coordinated evacuations at the Kabul airport.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the nation’s air force had evacuated 4,890 Afghans in 87 flights, the highest number of any European Union nation.
Italy’s remaining soldiers left Afghanistan on a separate flight from Kabul on Friday night. That air force flight went to Kuwait and the troops are due back in Italy early next week.
Macron warns against dropping guard against ‘IS’ threat
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the “Islamic State” group “remains a threat,” warning countries across the world against dropping their guard against the terror outfit.
The warning comes days after an affiliate of the jihadists — the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) — claimed responsibility for carrying out a deadly bomb attack near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh (IS) remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government,” Macron said, after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in Baghdad.
France ends airlift operations out of Kabul
The French military has ended its mission to evacuate French citizens and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan, Defence Minister Florence Parly said.
In just under two weeks, French forces had managed to bring about 3,000 people to safety, including over 2,600 Afghans, she wrote on Twitter.
US tells citizens to avoid going to Kabul airport
The United States has urged citizens to “immediately” leave the gates around Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“Because of security threats at the Kabul airport, we continue to advise US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” the US embassy in Kabul said in a security alert.
“US citizens who are at the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate now should leave immediately,” it added.
The warning came after a terror attack near the airport claimed the lives of scores of people, including 13 US military personnel.
US conducts drone strike on suspected ‘Islamic State’ attack planner
An alleged attack planner belonging to the “Islamic State” Khorasan group (IS-K) was killed by a US drone strike in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a statement late Friday.
The strike targeted the suspected IS-K member in the eastern Afghan province of Nangahar.
It’s unclear if the suspect played a role in the deadly Kabul airport bombing earlier this week.
“Initial indications are that we killed the target,” the US Central Command spokesperson Bill Urban said. “We know of no civilian casualties.”
It comes after US President Joe Biden vowed to strike back against IS-K after the attack.
“We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said in a White House address on Thursday.
The president also said he instructed the military to conduct operations against IS-K assets, leadership and facilities.
The bombing at Kabul airport earlier this week killed at least 13 US soldiers and as many as 169 Afghans.
IS-K has claimed responsibility for the attack, while the Taliban has denied involvement.
wd, sri/mm (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-says-is-k-attack-planner-killed-in-drone-strike-live-updates/a-59010186?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf