Situation Report: ISIS-K blamed for Kabul airport bombing as Biden administration touts Taliban relationship

The Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsible for dual suicide bombings which killed 13 U.S. Service members and more than a hundred Afghan civilians in Kabul. In the aftermath of this disaster, the Biden administration is scrambling to blame former President Trump and the lack of alternative options, essentially dodging responsibility.

In the 20-minute press conference provided to the public at 5:30 pm EST on August 26, Biden started take responsibility for the bombings only to immediately pivot to blaming the former Trump administration’s Afghanistan policy to rationalize why 13 service members were killed under his watch.

Additionally, on August 27 the Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby admitted that thousands of ISIS-K militants were released from Bagram prison by the Taliban following the U.S. decision to abandon its major airbase in the country even before evacuations began.

Kirby announced this shocking admission while answering questions regarding the Taliban’s potential participation or cooperation in the bombings. In response, Kirby noted that “The general said there was a failure somewhere, obviously, and he even alluded to the fact it could have been at a Taliban checkpoint,” he said. “So, we’ve not been certain about that at all. There’ll be an investigation.”

Despite these obvious issues, the Biden administration continues to depend on the Taliban to safely assist the evacuation of approximately 5,000 additional persons. On August 27, Biden warned that another terror attack targeting Kabul’s airfield is likely.

General McKenzie said that the Department of Defense will continue to carry out their top priority, which is to “get as many American citizens and other evacuees as possible out of Afghanistan,” despite these warnings.

Fox News reported that American and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders have made up only a portion of the nearly 100,000 individuals evacuated so far.

ISIS-K is an active terrorist affiliate of the Islamic State in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group has carried out dozens of attacks targeting civilians and their rival, the Taliban, in Afghanistan over the last year. ISIS-K is in part comprised of foreign fighters from Russia, China, and Central Asia.

While Biden vowed retaliatory action to “strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities” at a time of the U.S.’s choosing, it’s unclear what immediate target options may be available. While Biden has repeatedly touted “over the horizon” counterterrorism capabilities the claim has been scant on details. Particularly concerning is whether the U.S. will possess sufficient intelligence capability in a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to enable such action.