At least 170 people were killed and over 1,330 more wounded in Thursday's twin bombing and gun attacks outside Kabul's airport. 13 US service members were among the fatalities, with 15 others receiving injuries of varying severity. Over two dozen Taliban fighters were also killed in the attacks.
President Joe Biden has granted US military commanders full authority to target Daesh-Khorasan*, the Afghanistan affiliate of the Daesh (ISIS)* terrorist group, the White House said in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, Biden was informed that the US military has resumed its evacuation operations in Kabul, with “thousands of people” said to be airlifted out of the country “every few hours,” and the evacuation of American citizens listed as a priority.
Along with Biden and Vice President Harris, Friday's meeting was said to have been attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, the directors of the CIA and FBI, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and other officials, as well as commanders and diplomats in the field.
In a separate statement Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the president will not be seeking the resignation of military top brass over the Kabul attacks. She further indicated that there would be ‘no quick recognition' of any Taliban government of Afghanistan by the US or its allies.
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