US government officials say the Islamic State mastermind believed to be behind the deadly bombing in August 2021 during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan at Kabul airport has been killed.
The IS operative who remains unnamed, the BBC cites US government officials, was killed weeks ago.
The attack at Kabul airport as thousands waited to be evacuated from Afghanistan by the US and NATO allies killed 170 civilians as well as 13 US military personnels.
According to US government officials, the death of the IS figure has been confirmed through “intelligence gathering and monitoring of the region.” But no details have been provided on how it has been determined that he masterminded the Kabul airport attack.
“Experts in the government are at high confidence that this individual… was indeed the key individual responsible,” a US government official told CBS News.
The New York Times reports that the US learned of the death of the IS figure in early April, and the government has notified families of soldiers killed in the bombing.
US government officials has said the IS commander has reportedly killed during clashes with Taliban forces.
This comes after a recent leaked Pentagon documents revealed that Afghanistan has become a staging hub for the Islamic State’s global operations.
