2021 Kabul airport attack

2021 Kabul airport attack
Part of the Islamic State–Taliban conflict, the 2021 Kabul airlift and the war on terror
Map
LocationHamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan
Coordinates34°33′31″N 69°13′13″E / 34.55861°N 69.22028°E / 34.55861; 69.22028
Date26 August 2021 (2021-08-26)
17:50 (UTC+04:30)
TargetAfghan civilians, foreign troops, and Taliban members
Attack type
Suicide bombing[1][2]
Deaths182 (including the perpetrator)[3]
Injured150+[4][5]
Perpetrator Islamic State – Khorasan Province[6][7]
AssailantAbdul Rahman al-Logari[8]
Defenders Taliban[9]
 United States
 United Kingdom[10]

A suicide bombing took place at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 26 August 2021, at 17:50 local time (13:20 UTC),[11] during the evacuation from Afghanistan.[1][6][12][13] At least 182 people were killed, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 members of the United States military,[3][14][4] the first American military casualties in the War in Afghanistan since February 2020.[15] The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K) claimed responsibility for the attack.[16]

On 27 August, the United States launched an airstrike which the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said was against three suspected ISIS–K members in Nangarhar Province.[17] On 29 August, the US conducted a second drone strike in Kabul, targeting a vehicle which they suspected was carrying ISIS–K members, but actually carried an Afghan aid worker. Ten Afghan civilians were killed in the drone strike, including seven children.[18]

In 2023, the (unnamed) leader of the ISIS–K cell that organized the attack was believed to have been killed by Taliban security forces.[19]

  1. ^ a b Atwood, Kylie; Sciutto, Jim; Starr, Barbara (26 August 2021). "Officials: Explosion at Kabul airport appears to be a suicide attack". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. ^ Seligman, Laura; Ward, Alexander; Desiderio, Andrew; Lippman, Daniel; McLeary, Paul (26 August 2021). "13 U.S. troops killed in ISIS attacks on Kabul airport". Politico. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hashemi, Sayed Ziarmal; Baldor, Lolita C.; Gannon, Kathy; Knickmeyer, Ellen (27 August 2021). "US forces keep up Kabul airlift under threat of more attacks". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Kabul airport attack: What do we know?". BBC News. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Varshalomidze was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Pasko, Simcha (26 August 2021). "Biden on Kabul suicide bombings: 'We will hunt you down and make you pay'". The Jerusalem Post. Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  7. ^ Elhamy, Ahmad; Zengerle, Patricia; Martina, Michael (26 August 2021). "Kabul attacks put bitter adversary Islamic State back into U.S. sights". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Burke was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Trofimov, Yaroslav; Salama, Vivian (27 August 2021). "In Its Last Days in Kabul, U.S. Turns to Taliban as a Partner". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  10. ^ "New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the US withdrew from Afghanistan".
  11. ^ "Kabul explosions: 13 US soldiers and 72 Afghans killed in Islamic State suicide bombings". Euronews. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  12. ^ Ross, Jamie; Rohrlich, Justin; Yousafzai, Sami; Ibrahim, Noor (26 August 2021). "Sheer Chaos: At Least 13 U.S. Troops Killed as Blasts Rock Kabul Airport". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  13. ^ Kottasová, Ivana; Starr, Barbara; Atwood, Kylie; Paton Walsh, Nick; Kiley, Sam; Cohen, Zachary; Hansler, Jennifer; Lister, Tim (26 August 2021). "US troops and Afghans killed in suicide attacks outside Kabul airport". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  14. ^ Trofimov, Yaroslav; Youssef, Nancy A.; Rasmussen, Sune Engel (26 August 2021). "Kabul Airport Attack Kills 13 U.S. Service Members, at Least 90 Afghans". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Afghanistan: US will hunt down Kabul airport attack jihadists, says Biden". BBC News. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  16. ^ Brown, Matthew; Garrison, Joey; Brook, Tom Vanden; Meyer, Josh; Subramanian, Courtney; Morin, Rebecca (26 August 2021). "Latest from Afghanistan: Biden: 'We will not forgive'; Navy confirms 13th US service member killed in Kabul". USA Today. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  17. ^ Crawford, Jamie; Liebermann, Oren (27 August 2021). "US military conducts airstrike against ISIS-K planner". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT20210917 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Demirjian, Karoun; Schmitt, Eric (25 April 2023). "Taliban Kill Head of ISIS Cell That Bombed Kabul Airport". The New York Times. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 25 April 2023.