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U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate on Thursday’s attack In Kabul, he said he would hunt down those responsible and make them pay the price.
In a speech at the White House on Thursday, Biden confirmed that the explosion was carried out by ISIS-K, the branch of ISIL in Afghanistan.
The attack killed dozens of people, including Afghan civilians and 12 U.S. service personnel.
“For those who carried out this attack, and anyone who wants the United States to be harmed, know: we will not forgive; we will not forget,” Biden said.
“We will hunt you down and make you pay the price. I will take all measures under my command to defend our interests in our people.”
Biden added that despite the attack, the United States will continue to evacuate American citizens and American allies. “We will not be intimidated by terrorists; we will not let them stop our mission. We will continue to evacuate,” he said.
U.S. service personnel have not been Be killed Fighting in Afghanistan since February 2020.
Biden Zeng put off His activities that day, including a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, focused on the situation in Afghanistan.
General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command, confirmed earlier Thursday that airlifts will not be stopped after the attack.
“Our mission is to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals, special immigrant visa holders, American embassy staff and Afghans in danger,” MacKenzie said. “Despite this attack, we are still continuing our mission.”
U.S. top general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milly also stated that the U.S. military is still “focused and determined to perform this task.”
“These brave men and women take risks to save the lives of disadvantaged groups and protect Americans,” Milly said. “They have moved more than 100,000 people to safety. I am extremely proud of their service. They gave their lives to save others; there is no higher calling.”
In Washington, politicians from the two main parties condemned the attack, and the Republicans decided to withdraw and direct their finger at Biden.
Republican Senator Josh Holly called on Biden to resign.
Holly wrote on Twitter: “It is disgusting to say that we lost American lives in Kabul today. It does not explain what has happened.”
“This is infuriating. Joe Biden is in charge. Now there is no doubt that he has neither the ability nor the will to lead.”
Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, said that the enemies of the United States are taking advantage of the “chaotic nature of Biden’s withdrawal.”
He called on Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to summon Congress “to prohibit the evacuation of our troops until every American is safe to evacuate.”
too frightening. Our enemies took advantage of the chaotic nature of Biden’s exit.
Speaker Pelosi must bring the Congress back by August 31 so that we can listen to a thorough briefing from the government and prohibit our troops from withdrawing until every American is safely evacuated.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLader) August 26, 2021
The U.S. military is scheduled to withdraw at the end of this month, and the government said this is “In step“Before evacuation of all Americans August 31.
For her part, Pelosi called on the White House to involve lawmakers in handling the situation.
Pelosi said in a statement: “As we work with the Biden administration to stabilize the situation, we must continue to keep the Congress informed of the situation closely. This is why I ask the executive branch to continue to inform members of the situation.”
“At the same time, our governing committee will continue to hold briefings on Afghanistan.”
Progressive Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar called for increased evacuation after the attack.
Today’s terrorist attacks on Afghans and American soldiers are terrible, and once again remind the Afghan people to continue to face terror.
Now is the time to double the evacuation efforts and make every effort to evacuate the most dangerous people.
-Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 26, 2021
ISIS-K, the affiliate of ISIL in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that named the attacker and called the Taliban “apostate.”
Mackenzie stated that the US military is coordinating with the Taliban to respond to the “extremely real” threat of ISIS-K attacks.
But earlier in the day, Democratic Chairman Bob Menendez of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned against trusting the Taliban.
Menendez wrote on Twitter: “While we wait for more details to be announced, one thing is clear: we cannot believe that the Taliban have the safety of Americans.”
Biden defended coordination with the Taliban in a speech on Thursday, saying that the relationship with the organization is a convenience, not trust.
The American president said: “It is in their own interest to leave when we are speaking, and we want as many people as possible to leave.”
He also reiterated his defense of the withdrawal decision. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Biden said, “it’s time to end a 20-year war.”
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