A single bomber carried out Kabul Airport attack U.S. military says.
ON FRIDAY, the U.S. military said that one Islamic State bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and around 170 Afghans at Kabul airport in August of last year.
However, it was not the massive attack initially believed to be the case, and it was impossible to prevent it using the available resources.
Reporting to reporters about the findings of an investigation by the military, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the director of U.S. Central Command, stated that the bomb caused 5mm ball bearings to rip through a throng of people inside the airport’s Abbey Gate. The inquiry found no conclusive evidence of firearms fired.
“I would like to acknowledge that the evidence gathered differs from what we believed at the time of an attack,” McKenzie said.
“At the moment, the most reliable information we could find immediately following the attack suggested the possibility of a complicated attack that involved an ISIS-K suicide bomber as well as attackers,” McKenzie said, using an acronym that refers to the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate.
The bombing took place on August 26 when U.S. troops were trying to aid both Americans and Afghans escape the chaos following the Taliban’s military takeover and intensified America’s sense of defeat following 20 years of war.
The incident also caused President Joe Biden’s administration to respond to claims that the State Department could have evacuated Americans earlier rather than placing U.S. troops at risk.
The attack placed the U.S. military on a high alert, which could have led to a failed U.S. drone strike that mistakenly identified civilians as Islamic State militants.
When asked if it was possible to have prevented the incident, Army Brigadier General Lance Curtis stated: “Based upon our investigation at the tactical level, the incident was not preventable. And the commanders in the field followed the correct procedures.”
McKenzie, as well as other U.S. military officials, said that the investigation had gathered evidence from more than 100 witnesses, analyses from explosives experts, and medical examiners drone footage, along with other information.
Officials have confirmed that the bomb was composed of approximately 20 pounds of military-grade explosives.
The bomber likely lowered it before setting it off. In addition to 13 U.S. service members killed, around 45 more were injured.