In his first address to Congress after assuming office, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged Pakistan’s assistance in capturing the mastermind behind the 2021 Kabul Airport attack that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. military personnel and approximately 160 Afghan civilians. Trump expressed his gratitude to the Pakistani government for its cooperation in the counterterrorism operation.

The Kabul Airport Attack and its Aftermath

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport left a devastating impact. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), targeted thousands of Afghan civilians attempting to flee the country as U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

For years, the U.S. intelligence community worked to track down those responsible. In April 2023, U.S. officials indicated that the Taliban had eliminated the suspected mastermind of the attack, but they provided no conclusive........

© The Spine Times