The Taliban has condemned Thursday’s deadly attacks at the Kabul airport that killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops.
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing targeting civilians at Kabul airport,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter. He added that the blasts hit an area of the airport “where US forces are responsible for security.”
ISIS has taken responsibility for the attack. On Wednesday and early Thursday, the US and its allies issued alerts and warned Afghans to move away from the airport over a potential attack from the local ISIS affiliate, known as ISIS-K.
ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, and the US has even provided air support to the Taliban while the group was fighting ISIS-K in northeast Afghanistan. Mujahid said on Twitter that the “evil circles” responsible for the attack will be “stopped.”
The US military does not appear to believe that the Taliban played any role in the attack. “I don’t think there is anything to convince me that [the Taliban] let it happen,” Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, told reporters.
Why would the Taliban carry out or let the attack happen since all it would do is lessen the prospects of its defeated Amerikastani enemy fleeing out of the door?
Does this mean ISIS is not available for Xinjiang operations.