Biden Says Second Kabul Airport Attack Likely in 24-36 Hours As US Troops Begin Withdrawal From Kabul

On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that another militant attack at the Kabul airport was highly likely as U.S. troops began their withdrawal from Kabul airport. 

What Happened: President Biden said that his military commanders informed him during a briefing on Saturday morning that another attack is "highly likely in the next 24-36 hours." 

"Therefore, I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection," Biden said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans to avoid the airport after a possible second threat of attack. 

On Thursday, 13 U.S. service members and 60 Afghans were killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) and Baron Hotel. 

In retaliation, the U.S. launched a drone strike on Friday that killed two members of ISIS-K, the Islamic State offshoot that claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the report, Mr. Biden said that U.S. Central Command leader Kenneth McKenzie led the operation and "was not the last" against the group responsible for the airport bombing.

Why It Matters: After Thursday's attack, Biden vowed the U.S. will not stop pursuing the perpetrators. "We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay," Biden added.

"The Americans should have informed us before conducting the airstrike, it was a clear attack on Afghan territory," a Taliban spokesman told Reuters.

The White House said the next few days were likely to be the most dangerous of the evacuation operation. The Pentagon has said that the United States and allies have taken about 111,900 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks.

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