The Taliban killed the Islamic State official believed to have planned the suicide bombing at Kabul Airport's Abbey gate that killed 13 American troops and more than 170 civilians amid the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
"The ISIS-K terrorist who was the mastermind of the horrific attack at Abbey Gate that killed 13 brave American service members and many others has been removed from the battlefield," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in an emailed statement. ISIS-K refers to the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State — the Afghan affiliate of the terror group.
"He was killed in a Taliban operation, which is another in a series of high-profile leadership losses ISIS-K has suffered this year. He was a key ISIS-K official directly involved in plotting operations like Abbey Gate, and now is no longer able to plot or conduct attacks," Kirby said, without providing further detail.
The US was not involved in the Taliban operation, another US official said.
