Friday, August 27, 2021

'Another terror attack in Kabul is likely,' national security chiefs warn Biden


 President Joe Biden was warned Friday that another terror attack in Kabul is "likely," one day after a suicide bomber outside the city's airport killed at least 113 people, including 13 U.S. service members.

The stark warning from the president's national security team came as the United States entered the final days of a monthslong military withdrawal from Afghanistan, on track to meet Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for a full withdrawal.

"The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date," they told Biden, according to a White House statement.

In response, Biden reaffirmed his "approval of all authorities they need to conduct the operation and protect our troops," said the White House. The generals confirmed to the president that they had the resources they believed they needed to do so effectively.

Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that ISIS is likely to try to continue attacks before the evacuations conclude.

McKenzie, who oversees U.S. military operations in the region, said the threats against Western forces and civilians at the airport ranged from gunfire to rockets to suicide bombings.

"So very, very real threat streams, what we would call tactical that means imminent, could occur at any moment," he said.