The Taliban has killed the Islamic State terrorist who plotted the deadly attack at Kabul's airport during the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021, an assault that fatally wounded more than 170 people and 13 U.S. troops, according to a U.S official.
A suicide bomber killed Afghans who had clustered near one of the entrances to Hamid Karzai International Airport and the U.S. troops screening them. The attack on Aug. 26 was one of the darkest chapters of the chaotic withdrawal of American military and diplomatic personnel after 20 years of war in Afghanistan.
The U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed to USA TODAY that the Taliban killed the mastermind behind the attack.
Eleven U.S. Marines, a sailor and a soldier were killed in the attack.
The bomb contained 20 pounds of military-grade explosives and 5-millimeter ball bearings. The blast wounded 45 more U.S. troops, including some who suffered traumatic brain injuries.
AUGUST 2021:What to know about the deadly terrorist attack at Kabul airport
The IS leader, whose identity officials have not yet released, was killed in southern Afghanistan in early April as part of a series of operations conducted by the Taliban against the IS group, according to a U.S. official, the Associated Press reported. The official also told the AP that the Taliban was not aware of the person's identity at the time.
The AP reported that the U.S. military started informing family members of the killed U.S. troops over the weekend, according to a mother of another Marine. The mother said the family members shared the information in a private group messaging chat.
Dan Hoover, the father of a Marine who was killed in the attack, Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover of Utah, told the AP he is part of a group of 12 Gold Star families. Hoover said he and his son’s mother, Kelly Henson, have been hoping for accountability from the Biden administration for the handling of the withdrawal. The killing of the unidentified Islamic State group member, Hoover said, does nothing to help them.
“Whatever happens, it’s not going to bring Taylor back and I understand that,” he told AP. “About the only thing his mom and I can do now is be an advocate for him. All we want is the truth. And we’re not getting it. That’s the frustrating part.”
VISUAL:Satellite images, graphics, and maps show how fatal airport explosion ripped through Kabul
The chaotic scramble to evacuate people from Afghanistan was soon replaced by fear and desperation after the bombing. It was one of America's deadliest days in the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan and came days before President Joe Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing troops.
One explosion was triggered by a suicide bomber at a gate where people must go through a security check before getting onto the airfield. A second blast happened at a hotel where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather before heading to the airport for evacuation.
Graphic photos and video published after the attacks showed people fleeing the scene and large numbers of Afghans injured. Images from reporters inside the airport showed a large dust cloud shrouding part of the airport as people scattered from the explosion.
A monthslong U.S. investigation into the bombing determined a single suicide bomber whose explosive vest was packed with ball bearings was responsible for the carnage, differing from earlier reports there may have been more than one attacker.
In the several days leading up to the attack, U.S. intelligence reports indicated that ISIS-K sought to attack Afghans seeking to leave the country and U.S. troops guarding entrances to the airport. U.S. troops cooperated with Taliban militants who helped screen throngs of people streaming to the airport.
The Afghanistan-based offshoot of the Islamic State, with up to 4,000 members, is the Taliban’s most bitter enemy and top threat militarily. The group has continued to carry out attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, especially against the country’s minority groups.
PREVIOUSLY:With last plane out of Kabul, America's 20-year war in Afghanistan is over
On Aug. 29, three days after the airport attack, U.S. forces launched a drone attack near the airport that killed 10 innocent Afghans. That attack was deemed an "honest mistake" by a separate Pentagon investigation. The airstrike was launched by U.S. troops who mistakenly identified the civilian vehicle as an "imminent threat."
Biden faced harsh criticism over his strategy for winding down the war that started in 2001 when the United States invaded Afghanistan, which sheltered the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The United States and its NATO allies spent billions of dollars to build up Afghan forces, only to see the country's Western-backed government fall Aug. 15 to the Taliban.
"I bear the responsibility, fundamentally, of everything that's happened of late,” Biden said at the time, noting that former President Donald Trump made a deal with the Taliban that if the United States got out service members by May 1 of this year, the Taliban would not attack U.S. troops.
Biden said after the attack he stood by the decision to pull the troops out.
The August 2021 pullout of U.S. troops led to the swift collapse of the Afghan government and military, which the U.S. had supported for nearly two decades, and the return to power of the Taliban. In the aftermath, President Joe Biden directed that a broad review examine “every aspect of this from top to bottom” and it was released earlier this month.
Contributing: Michael Collins, Joey Garrison and Matthew Brown, USA TODAY; Associated Press
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