Real, acute, persistent – with these words Jake Sullivan describes the danger of an attack at Kabul airport by the “Islamic State”.
In the words of US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, America is “dead serious” about warnings from the secret services. The exchange of fire with unknown attackers at the north gate of the airport, in which an Afghan security guard was killed on Monday, should also alarm all those who believe that a targeted attack by militant extremists is possible.
At the airport, thousands still hope to escape the Taliban. From Biden’s point of view, chaos and crowds increase the risk of attacks there. “We know that terrorists could try to take advantage of the situation and attack innocent Afghans or American troops,” he said, referring to the regional branch of the Sunni “Islamic State”.
The network, led by Siraj Hakkani – for whose capture the US government has offered a reward of up to ten million dollars – is said to have close ties to foreign jihadists. This includes not only Al Qaeda – the terrorist organization has long been allied with the Taliban – but also the “Islamic State”.
That means: Among the nationalist-minded Taliban there are groups who speak out for a global “holy war”. “It remains to be seen whether the jihadist wing of the Taliban will become active beyond Afghanistan.”
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