The Pentagon announced this Saturday that the drone it launched in the last hours over Afghanistan killed two alleged “high-profile” members of the Islamic State (IS) and wounded another, reported the deputy director of Logistics of the US General Staff. General Hank Taylor at a press conference.
So far, the Pentagon had only reported the death of an alleged IS member in the US offensive in retaliation for Thursday’s attack at the Kabul airport , which was claimed by that same terrorist group and left dozens dead, including 13 American soldiers.
Taylor said there were “zero civilian casualties” and said Washington will continue to carry out operations against IS terrorists “as necessary.”
He also explained that the alleged terrorists executed played the roles of “facilitators” and “planners” of the IS, although he refused to specify whether they participated in any way in the organization of the attack on the Kabul airport or what specific functions they performed.
At the same press conference, Defense Department spokesman John Kirby refused to assess how the loss of these two individuals could impact ISIS’s ability to plan attacks.
“The fact that these two individuals are no longer walking on the face of the earth, that ‘s a good thing . It’s a good thing for the people of Afghanistan, it’s a good thing for our troops and for our forces at the airport,” he limited himself. to say Kirby.
Asked about it, the spokesman indicated that Washington “did not” share information with the Taliban about the attack.
As reported by the Pentagon on Friday night, the operation took place in Nangarhar province , a mountainous terrain in eastern Afghanistan that is very difficult to control and has served as a stronghold for the terrorist group since its appearance in Afghanistan in 2015.
The US attack came 24 hours after US President Joe Biden promised revenge against IS and revealed that he had ordered his commanders to develop plans to hit the terror group’s targets in Afghanistan, its leaders and its bases.
The number of victims of Thursday’s attack in Kabul amounts to at least 170 dead and 150 injured , sources close to the Taliban have indicated in Kabul; while the Pentagon has reported the death of 13 US soldiers and 18 wounded.
The IS affiliate that was responsible for the attack is known as the Islamic State of Khorasan (as the jihadists refer to Afghanistan). It was created in 2015 and is a staunch enemy of both the US and the Taliban.
