President Joe Biden has vowed to continue air attacks against the Islamic terrorist group responsible for the suicide bombing that killed dozens of Afghans and 13 American military personnel at Kabul airport.
Another terror strike is "highly likely" this weekend, he added, as the US prepares to leave.
Because of a particular, credible danger, the US State Department is encouraging all Americans in the region of Afghanistan's Kabul airport to leave immediately.
According to the warning sent early Sunday morning, US citizens should avoid going to the airport and all airport gates at this time.
The gate near the Panjshir Petrol station on the northwest side of the airport, the new Ministry of the Interior, and the gate near the South (Airport Circle) gate were all mentioned.
ISIS operatives are killed in a drone attack.
The Pentagon said the remaining US forces at the airport, which now number fewer than 4000, have begun their last retreat ahead of Biden's Tuesday deadline for the evacuation to be completed.
Biden warned the extremists can anticipate more after hearing of a US drone mission in eastern Afghanistan that killed two members of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate early Saturday, according to the Pentagon.
In a statement, Biden stated, "This strike will not be the last." “We will continue to pursue anyone who was involved in that heinous attack and hold them accountable.”
He praised the American troops for their "bravery and selflessness" in rushing tens of thousands of people from Kabul airport, including the 13 US military members killed in a suicide bombing at an airport gate on Thursday.
As emotions grew over the possibility of another ISIS-K strike, the evacuation proceeded.
“Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours,” Biden said, adding that he has instructed them to take all necessary precautions to protect their troops, who are securing the airport and assisting in bringing Americans and others fleeing Taliban rule onto the airfield.
According to the Pentagon, the bodies of the 13 American personnel were on their way back to the United States. Their journey marked a sad turning point in a nearly 20-year American conflict that has claimed the lives of over 2400 US military personnel and is coming to an end with the return to power of a Taliban regime that was overthrown when US forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.
