CNN interviewed a top ISIS-K commander just two weeks before Thursday's deadly attack at Kabul's international airport.
CNN reported that Kunar Province's commander, whose identity was concealed, told Clarissa Ward, a journalist at a Kabul hotel, that his group was "laying low" and "waiting for a strike," CNN reported.
Ward noted that these were "words which turned out to have been eerily prophetic". Ward said the commander claimed he was able to get through the checkpoints to enter Kabul. She also allowed Ward's crew to film him entering the city to prove it.
Abdul Munir was the commander. He spoke about how his group faced U.S. forces and clashed with Taliban. He also described being subject to suicide bombings, public executions, and other such horrors.
Through a translator, he stated that he had too many memories of being present at these scenes. He then spoke out about a particular incident that involved fighters from another faction. "During the fighting we captured five people. He said that the fighters got too excited and hit them with axes.
He also spoke of a plan to increase the number of members as more foreigners leave the country. He said that they could be gone and "we can resume our operations." He claimed that he couldn't speak for plans in Afghanistan and that it was beyond his reach.
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According to Afghan and U.S. officials, ISIS-K claimed responsibility in the suicide attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday that left at least 60 Afghans dead and 13 U.S. soldiers wounded. Hours after U.S. officials warned citizens that the State Department was threatening them, the attack occurred.
While President Joe Biden promised to pursue those responsible for the attack, he remains committed to the August 31 troop withdrawal deadline that he established. The U.S. military launched a drone strike on Saturday to kill an ISIS-K "planner".
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Tags: News, Afghanistan. CNN. Media. ISIS. National Security.
Original Author: Daniel Chaitin
Original Location: ISIS K commander said to CNN that the group was waiting for a strike two weeks prior to Kabul Airport attack
