KABUL — The United States killed two "high
profile" Daesh targets with a drone strike in Afghanistan on Saturday, as
the airlift of those desperate to flee moved into its fraught final stages with
fresh terror attack warnings and Taliban forces primed to take over Kabul
airport.
اضافة اعلان
US forces overseeing the evacuation have been forced into
closer security cooperation with the Taliban to prevent any repeat of the
suicide bombing that killed scores of civilians crowded around one of the
airport's main access gates and 13 American troops.
The attack was claimed by a regional Daesh chapter, and the
Pentagon said it had killed two "high profile" targets and wounded
another from the terrorist group with a drone strike in eastern Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby they were
Daesh “planners and
facilitators", adding: "The fact that two of these individuals are no
longer walking on the face of the Earth, that’s a good thing."
With the airlift window narrowing sharply ahead of an August
31 deadline, more than 5,000 people remained inside Kabul airport awaiting
evacuation on Saturday.
Gone are the crowds of thousands around the airport's
perimeter, hoping to be let through and allowed onto a plane.
Now, the Taliban have sealed off roads leading to the
airport and are only letting sanctioned buses pass.
"We have lists from the Americans. ... If your name is
on the list, you can come through," one Taliban official told AFP near the
civilian passenger terminal.
The carnage of Thursday's suicide attack injected further
stress and tension into a situation already fraught with panic and despair for
those wanting to leave and high risk for the US forces tasked with securing the
operation.
Refugee exodus
Under enormous criticism at home and abroad for his handling
of the Afghan crisis and the US military withdrawal, Biden has pledged to stick
to the airlift deadline and punish those responsible for the suicide blast.
About 112,000 people have been flown out of the country
since August 14, the day before the
Taliban swept to power, according to the US
government.
On Saturday Taliban fighters escorted a steady stream of
Afghans from buses to the main passenger terminal, handing them over to US
troops for evacuation.
Many Western allies have announced an end to their airlifts,
with some admitting that at-risk Afghans eligible for evacuation had been left
behind.
The UN said it was bracing for a "worst-case
scenario" of up to half a million more refugees from Afghanistan by the
end of 2021.
The Taliban have promised a softer brand of rule compared
with their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, which ended when the US
invaded Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
But many Afghans fear a repeat of their brutal rule, as well
as reprisals against those working with foreign militaries, Western missions or
the previous US-backed government.
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