Here are the latest updates from Afghanistan, the country is falling apart as the United States remove its final troops from the nation. The Taliban is in full control, and there is a new insurgency called ISIS-K that is wreaking havoc on the nation. The United States underestimated the strength of the Taliban, and it has caused many issues.
Kabul Airport Attack
The Kabul Airport attack did not make the United States reconsider keeping troops in the nation. On Thursday, multiple suicide bombers who were part of ISIS-K conducted a deadly attack outside the gates of Kabul Airport.
There were 13 United States military members and over 60 Afghans killed in the attack, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health. The deadly blasts coincided with the United States mass evacuation strategy to remove troops and bystanders from the country.
In addition to the people killed, there were 140 Americans and Afghans wounded in the bombing. President Biden called the military members heroes, but he has been criticized for being the person who caused the attacks for his poor deployment strategy.
Following the attack, Biden said, “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
There have been thousands of Afghans gathering at the gates of the airport with the hope of leaving the country. The United States has tried to disperse the groups to prevent attacks.
The groups have dwindled following the Kabul Airport bombing, but bystanders are still risking their lives to leave the country. The bombing occurred at the Abbey Gate of the airport, which is the main entry point. United States Marines have been patrolling this area since the rush to the airport began.
Since August 14, there have been 95,700 people evacuated. Although, there are still stragglers in the country at risk of an attack from ISIS-K. ISIS-K was the terrorist group that took responsibility for the Kabul Airport bombing.
ISIS-K Background
ISIS-K is an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan that has begun to terrorize the nation as United States military forces decrease. The group was quick to take responsibility for the Kabul Airport bombing.
President Biden has begun instilling his plan of retribution, but this has not seemed to scare the insurgency. ISIS-K is short for ISIS-Khorasan, which was formed in 2015. The terrorist organization has always been destructive, but they have been hoisted to the front of the spotlight since the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
In 2018, ISIS-K was ranked as the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the nation, as they have killed over 1,000 people since forming. Since 2018, the group’s growth has been slow because the United States has kept them in check, but they are expected to proliferate with troops leaving.
The Taliban broke open jails, and many of these prisoners joined ISIS-K because the other insurgency was not radical enough. Most of the members of ISIS-K operate in Central Asia, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The group attracts members of the Taliban who feel the insurgency is not radical enough for their beliefs. ISIS-K has the goal to expand beyond Afghanistan and recruit Muslims all over the world.
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