The Afghan Taliban are said to have killed the leader of the IS cell allegedly responsible for the devastating suicide attack on Kabul Airport in August 2021. The US government came to this conclusion on the basis of intelligence information, several US media reported unanimously on Tuesday, citing high-ranking government officials.
More than 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers were killed in the attack, which occurred while the US military was withdrawing from Afghanistan.
It is unclear whether the IS leader was deliberately killed by the Taliban or fell victim to one of the increasing battles between militant Islamists and IS fighters, the New York Times reported. His death was solely the responsibility of the Taliban, the US was not involved, the CBS broadcaster quoted an unnamed government official as saying. The US government has not provided any further details or evidence that the person killed was actually the IS leader in question, it said.
During the attack on August 26, 2021, a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of one of the entrance gates to the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul. Masses of people had gathered there in the hope of being taken out of the country shortly before the final withdrawal of the last US soldiers.
US President Joe Biden, who ordered the withdrawal, had to take harsh criticism for the chaotic conditions during the operation. In a recently published report on the troop withdrawal, however, the Biden administration largely blamed his predecessor Donald Trump for the difficulties during the operation.
