Taliban seals off Kabul airport

The Taliban closed down roads to the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the United Kingdom completed its last evacuation flights on Saturday. Fighters cleared most of the areas outside the airport where large crowds gathered prior to Thursday’s suicide bombing there. 

The United States planned to keep its flights going until President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline. Biden warned Saturday that another terror attack on the airport was “highly likely in the next 24-36 hours.”

Western leaders acknowledged on Saturday they were leaving behind some of their citizens and many Afghans who helped them over the years.

Is the U.S. fighting back? On Saturday, the United States carried out a drone strike on Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, who were believed to have helped plan Thursday’s suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. Two ISIS members were killed, and one was wounded.

Biden said Saturday that it would not be the last strike against those responsible for the attack, which killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S. troops.

On Sunday, the president and first lady met meet with members of the military killed in last week’s attack. The dead ranged from 20 to 31 years old. 

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2021, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.