‘we will hunt you down’
U.S. troops killed in Kabul terror attack
More than a dozen U.S. troops and scores of Afghans were killed in a “vicious” terrorist suicide attack on Thursday, as President Biden promised that those who carried out the carnage will pay.
At least 13 U.S. service members and 60 Afghans died after suicide bombers and gunmen attacked those who were desperately trying to leave the country at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
The U.S. troops were standing guard at the airport, where people have been fleeing the country amid the Taliban takeover.
The Islamic State group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the killings. Biden vowed that the terrorists “will not win.”
“We will not forgive. We will not forget,” Biden said of the attackers. “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
The president called the terror attack “vicious,” and said the troops who died will be forever remembered as “heroes.”
“We are outraged as well as heartbroken,” Biden said.
U.S. officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. Another service member died hours later. Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded.
The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The Taliban were not believed to have been involved in the attacks and condemned the blasts.
The attacks came hours after Western officials warned of a major threat, urging people to leave the airport.
“We will not be deterred by terrorists,” Biden said. “We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.”
He added that he’s ordered commanders to plan to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities.
“We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing,” Biden said.
The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31 — and the evacuations must end then, too.
“We will rescue the Americans,” Biden said. “We will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.”
Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Marine veteran who commanded infantry patrols in Afghanistan through villages contested by the Taliban, tweeted, “The terrorist attack on the Kabul airport is an atrocity and the deaths of more U.S. service-members a tragedy. It is further proof that the Biden administration must complete evacuations, quickly, and sustain a robust counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan, indefinitely.”
Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch said of the devastation, “These brave U.S. service members were part of our effort to locate and evacuate fellow Americans and Afghan allies from impending harm. As Americans we must keep faith with that mission to locate and safely evacuate every American citizen and loyal Afghan partner and leave no one behind.”
Dan Magoon of Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, who served in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, said, “With mixed emotions of sorrow and anger, we pray for our service members in Afghanistan and their families at home. More importantly, we pray for our Gold Star Families, who will receive a knock at their door with the most devastating message a human being can ever comprehend.”