Pentagon on Kabul: ‘The Threats Are Still Very Real’

“The threats are still very real,” the Pentagon said Saturday when asked about the situation at Kabul airport.

U.S. forces killed two high-profile members of ISIS-K in a strike against the terrorist organization blamed for the bombing that left at least 88 people dead near the Kabul airport, military officials said, increasing the number of targets hit.

One other target was wounded in the operation against the branch of Islamic State active in Afghanistan, Major General William Taylor told reporters at the Pentagon on Saturday.

“They have lost some capability to plan and conduct missions,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The U.S. military initially reported killing one ISIS-K planner. Kirby said further assessment determined that the U.S. strike hit two additional targets.

“The threat stream is still active,” Kirby said, adding that the strike doesn’t “get us in the clear.” There were no civilian casualties, according to the Pentagon.

The U.S. Central Command initially said one person, described as an ISIS-K planner, was killed in a counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan’s Nangahar Province, east of Kabul.

That person was suspected of being involved in plotting future attacks, but had no direct link to Thursday’s assault in Kabul, according to a U.S. official.

The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the operation, said the target was killed by a Reaper drone while traveling in a vehicle.