President Biden Tells Kabul Attackers: 'We Will Hunt You Down And Make You Pay'

Updated August 26, 2021 at 6:10 PM ET

Update 6:01 p.m. ET:

On whether he bore any responsibility: Asked if he bore any responsibility for the way the evacuation has unfolded, President Biden said: "I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late."

But, he immediately added: "You know as well as I do that the former president made a deal with the Taliban."

That's a reference to the agreement struck by President Trump and the Taliban under which the U.S. said it would withdraw from the country by the end of May 2021 in exchange for U.S. troops not being targeted in the country. That deal largely held and Biden has maintained that had the U.S. stayed in the country, U.S. troops would have become the target of militant attacks.

Separately, when asked why he wanted to stay in the country given the casualties, he replied: "Because I think what America says matters."

On continuing the evacuation: President Biden said the U.S. will not be deterred by terrorists and will continue the evacuation. "America will not be intimidated."

The evacuation will go on, despite the threats, President Biden said. "There are individual groups of individuals — from women's groups, NGOs and others — who have expressly indicated they want to get out," he said.

Update 5:41 p.m. ET:

On whether the Taliban and ISIS-K are colluding: In response to a reporter's question, President Biden said it behooves the Taliban to keep ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, in check. "It's in the interest of the Taliban that ISIS-K is not metastasized," he said.

"We are counting on them to act in their own self-interest," he said. "And it's in their interest that we leave when we said we would. There is no evidence thus far from our commanders in the fiel dthat there has been collusion between Taliban and ISIS."

Update 5:33 p.m. ET:

On responding to the attacks: Biden sent a warning to those behind the deadly attacks near the Kabul airport:

"To those who carried out this attack ... know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. "

Biden said the U.S. will target ISIS-K and ensure the "terrorists will not win."

"I've also told my commanders to attack ISIS-K assets and we will respond with precision, at our time, at a place that we choose, and the moment of our choosing."

Update 5:31 p.m. ET:

On those who lost their lives: Addressing the nation Thursday evening, President Biden remembered the service members killed: "The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, service of security, service of others. In the service of others... The fallen this day are part of a great, noble company of heroes."

Update 4:46 p.m. ET:

ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, has said it carried out the attack, according to The Associated Press and Reuters. The group posted the news on its Telegram channel, which NPR has not been able to independently verify.

Speaking at the Pentagon a while ago, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the attacks were believed to have been carried out by ISIS-K.

ISIS-K, as the group is known, has primarily operated in eastern Afghanistan and have been repeatedly targeted by the U.S. military over the past few years.

Update 4:43 p.m. ET:

There have been more loud explosions in Kabul. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claims that they are controlled blasts by the "U.S. forces inside Kabul airport to destroy their belongings." He said residents should not worry.

Update 4:15 p.m. ET:

The White House announced that President Biden will deliver remarks on the terror attack in Kabul at 5 p.m. ET from the East Room.

Press secretary Jen Psaki will brief reporters following Biden's remarks at about 5:45 p.m.

Update 4:14 p.m. ET:

An Afghan official tells The Associated Press dozens of Afghans were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack outside Kabul airport.

Update 3:10 p.m. ET:

At a Pentagon news conference Thursday, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of Central Command, said 12 U.S. service members were killed and 15 were injured in Thursday's attack at the Kabul airport.

Many Afghans were also killed and injured, but McKenzie did not provide numbers.

About 104,000 have been evacuated from Afghanistan, including nearly 5,000 Americans, he added.

Update 2:40 p.m. ET:

Two U.S. officials said at least 12 U.S. service members were killed in the Afghanistan bombings, including 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to The Associated Press.

Officials say a number of U.S. military troops were wounded and warn that more casualties are expected to be reported.

Update 2:28 p.m. ET:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the attacks at the Kabul airport "vile" and says her country will continue to help those who want to leave Afghanistan.

The last German military aircraft has left Afghan airspace, ending the country's mission there, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced. "The safety of our soldiers has priority," she said. "All are safe on their way home."

Update 1:29 p.m. ET:

A U.S. official has confirmed with NPR that at least four U.S. Marines were killed in Thursday's attack.

Update 1:17 p.m. ET:

The Pentagon says "a number of U.S. service members were killed" or wounded.

"We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today's complex attack at Kabul airport," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement. "A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and injured," Kirby added.

Update 12:56 p.m. ET:

The Taliban have condemned the blast outside the airport and said the area where the blast took place was controlled by the U.S.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote in a tweet, "The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where U.S. forces are responsible for security."

He added that they were "paying close attention to the security."

Separately, the former head of the Afghan government's negotiating team and one of the leaders in negotiations with the Taliban, Abdullah Abdullah, also condemned the explosion.

Update 12:46 p.m. ET:

What is happening in Kabul is a "full-fledged humanitarian crisis," the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a tweet. "Our government must secure the airport & evacuate the many US citizens & vulnerable Afghans desperately trying to leave the country."

Update 12:21 p.m. ET:

Although U.S. forces have suffered casualties, there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities among British soldiers or government officials, the British defense ministry said. The ministry statement did not mention whether any British civilian trying to leave Afghanistan was hurt or killed.

Update 12:10 p.m. ET:

The White House said President Biden had canceled his planned virtual meeting with governors about resettling Afghan refugees.

Biden met with his national security team Thursday morning, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and spoke with commanders on the ground, and will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation in Kabul throughout the day, the White House said.

Biden's planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was postponed until Friday. A planned briefing by White House press secretary Jen Psaki was also delayed.

Update 11:55 a.m. ET:

The number of patients taken to Emergency, a highly respected trauma center in Kabul, is now around 60. In an earlier tweet, the nongovernmental organization said, "6 others already dead on arrival."

This means the casualty count from the explosion is at least 60 wounded and at least 6 dead. U.S. officials earlier confirmed that three U.S. Marines were injured in the explosions.

Update 11:39 a.m. ET:

The explosion outside the Kabul airport is "definitely believed" to have been carried out by the Islamic State group, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Thursday attacks were carried out by two suicide bombers and gunmen.

Update 11:29 a.m. ET:

The main hospital in Kabul said it has received more than 30 patients. Six of them were dead on arrival, the hospital, run by an Italian nongovernmental organization, said in a tweet.

Update 11:04 a.m. ET:

The explosion at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport was "a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian casualties," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a tweet.

He added at another explosion took place near the Baron Hotel, located nearby.

Update 11:03 a.m. ET:

President Biden was in the White House Situation Room with his top national security aides discussing the situation in Afghanistan when the explosion at the airport happened. Biden was briefed on the explosion, a White House official told NPR's Franco Ordoñez.

Update 10:42 a.m. ET:

According to a U.S. official, three U.S. Marines were wounded in the explosion at the airport gate. There may be at least a dozen people injured; their nationalities are not known right now.

Update 10:35 a.m. ET:

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul says the blast took place at the "Abbey Gate" of the airport. It's one of the entrances to the airport that the embassy had specifically asked U.S. citizens to avoid due to heightened fears of an attack.

A statement from the embassy Thursday says there are reports of ongoing gunfire. It adds that U.S. citizens "should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time."

The embassy's latest security alert is here.

Original story posted at 10:10 a.m. ET :
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed reports of an explosion outside of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday.

"Casualties are unclear at this time," he wrote in a tweet. "We will provide additional details when we can."

The White House, State Department, Pentagon and U.S. Embassy in Kabul have all been warning of heightened threat from ISIS-K militants in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to the ongoing evacuation effort there.

In a security alert on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul urged Americans outside the gates of the airport to leave the area immediately, citing security threats. Officials also cautioned U.S. citizens against travel to the airport.

This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

This story originally appeared on t he Morning Edition live blog.

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