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US airstrike targets Islamic State member in Afghanistan

Joe Biden
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an ISIS-K member in Afghanistan.

In a statement to multiple news outlets, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command said the operation targeted an ISIS-K planner.

"The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan," Capt. Bill Urban said. "Initial indications are that we killed the target."

Urban added that they know of no civilian casualties.

The airstrike comes in retaliation for a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group that killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport Thursday.

President Joe Biden said Thursday that the perpetrators cannot hide, and he vowed to strike back at the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate. “We will hunt you down and make you pay,” he said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan is telling Americans that the security threat is not over. A statement on the embassy's website says, "U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate now should leave immediately."