US says mastermind behind Kabul airport attack in 2021 killed by Taliban

WASHINGTON - The individual believed by the United States to be the mastermind behind the attack at Kabul's international airport on US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan in August 2021 was killed by the Taliban, US media reported Tuesday, citing administration officials.

According to multiple media reports, the United States identified the suspect as a leader within extremist group Islamic State's Afghan branch known as ISIS-K, but didn't name the individual and refused to reveal how this person was killed, for fear that doing so would jeopardize US intelligence-gathering capability in the region.

John Kirby, coordinator for strategic coordination at the National Security Council, was cited by CNN as saying that the individual was "the mastermind of the horrific attack" on Aug 26, 2021 that killed 13 US service members as well as more than 100 Afghan civilians. Kirby added that this was one of a "series of high-profile leadership losses" that ISIS-K has suffered this year.

The United States was not involved in the Taliban's operation, nor was it notified by the Taliban about the death, reports said. Confirmation of the person's death and identity was based on the United States' own intelligence gathering.