The Daesh-Khorasan* (also known as ISIS-K) member who was most responsible for the deadly 2021 bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in 2021 has been killed by the Taliban**, a senior Biden official has revealed.
Citing an administration official with knowledge of the development, US media reported Tuesday that the Daesh-K member was killed “in recent weeks” but that it took weeks for the government to confirm the individual killed was the one they believe was responsible for the airport attack.
“We have become aware in recent weeks that the [Daesh-K] terrorist most responsible for that horrific attack of August 26, 2021, has now been killed in a Taliban operation,” the senior official was quoted as saying.
The official said the US did not coordinate with the Taliban in the operation and found out about it through other sources, adding the Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the operation.
The individual further declined to provide the name of the Daesh-K member who was killed but insisted he was a key member of the organization before and after the attack.
The Taliban opposes Daesh operating in the country, but the senior official said he was unsure why the organization is not claiming responsibility for the death of a key figure of its opposition.
The Taliban has been in control of Afghanistan since the US military withdrawal in September 2021. The withdrawal has been heavily criticized by Republicans and other critics of the Biden White House for being badly planned and chaotic. It left behind an estimated 78,000 Afghan allies who had worked with the United States.
The withdrawal was delayed for months by the Biden administration after former US President Donald Trump had initially set a May 2021 withdrawal date in a peace treaty with the Taliban. Biden’s delay angered the Taliban and despite the extra time to prepare, the withdrawal was proved hectic and unorganized. House Republicans have launched an inquiry into the withdrawal.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organisation outlawed in Russia and many other states.
**The Taliban is an organization under UN sanctions for terrorism.