US officials claim that the Taliban has killed the alleged Islamic State group leader who is thought to have planned the deadly bombing at Kabul Airport in 2021. The deadly attack claimed the lives of 170 civilians and 13 US soldiers as they tried to flee the country when the Taliban seized power. Leader of IS Afghan DivisionThe IS leaders identity has not been made public, and his death was only announced a few weeks later. The US authorities expressed confidence that the person killed was, in fact, the main perpetrator of the attack, but without disclosing how they came to learn of the leaders involvement in it. The US informed the families of the fallen American troops about the death of the ISIS leader. The Marine Corps informed Darin Hoover, the father of Marine Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover, who lost his life in the attack. The Marines told Hoover that their sources were reliable and that the person responsible for his sons death had been killed, as multiple sources had confirmed. However, he did not receive any further information on the operation. An attack that claimed hundreds of livesFamilies were waiting to be picked up from Kabul International Airport at Abbey Gate when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive there on August 26, 2021. The attack took place after Western countries warned their people to avoid the airport because of an impending danger of an attack by IS-K, the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate. As US soldiers left Afghanistan, enormous crowds gathered, hoping to board an evacuation flight, contributing to the high death toll.Following the attack, the US offered a $8 million ($10 million) reward to anyone with information that led to the arrest or conviction of the attackers or Sanaullah Ghafari, the leader of ISIS-K.The US concluded its longest war in Afghanistan in August 2021 by withdrawing its troops from the country. The Afghan government and military, which had enjoyed American assistance for two decades, collapsed as a result of this withdrawal. And immediately after this, the Taliban took back power.After the withdrawal, the Biden administration faced criticism from both domestic and foreign sources. Many people were against the desertion of Afghan citizens amidst the chaos. A US Marine hurt in the attack described the pullout as a “catastrophe” during Republican-led panels probe into it.Republican Representative Michael McCaul stated that while the news of the IS leaders death was appreciated, it did not fully justify the families of the US soldiers who lost their lives. The elimination of a terrorist is always welcome news. Still, McCaul insisted that this did not absolve the Biden administration from accountability for the mistakes that led to the attack at Abbey Gate.
