AFGHANISTAN SLIPS INTO UNCERTAINTY AGAIN

ISIS-K tries to turn US exit into bloody show

ISIS-Khorasan, the Islamic State's Afghanistan and Pakistan arm, the group behind the Kabul airport attack is trying to turn the Biden administration's exit into a bloody spectacle.

Hannah Allam and Souad Mekhennet, writing in The Washington Post said that for months, terrorism analysts warned that Islamic Statelinked terrorists in Afghanistan would try to turn the Biden administration's exit into a bloody spectacle.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber and multiple ISIS-K gunmen killed 13 US service members and at least 169 Afghan civilians in the attack at the Kabul airport.

With its signature blend of complexity and cruelty, the attack was seen by many observers as a reminder to the Americans and the Taliban that, no matter who was in the presidential palace, Afghanistan would remain contested, said Allam and Mekhennet.

Amira Jadoon, an assistant professor at the US Military Academy, has written extensively about ISIS-K, arguing that an unconditional US withdrawal and Taliban takeover would bring about "the most permissive" environment for the group to operate.

"And this is what we are seeing now," Jadoon said. "ISK's main goal right now is to stay politically relevant, disrupt efforts to stabilize the country, and also undermine the Afghan Taliban's credibility."

In the hours before the attack, US and Western governments warned of a specific threat related to ISIS-K and urged people to stay away from the airport. But the crowds returned Thursday, taking their chances before the evacuation window closed for good, reported The Washington Post.

ISIS-K began operating in Afghanistan in 2015, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.