Pentagon: Deadly Afghan airport attack was not preventable
Source: Associated Press
Pentagon: Deadly Afghan airport attack was not preventable
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
February 5, 2022
WASHINGTON (AP) The military investigation into the deadly attack during the Afghanistan evacuation has concluded that a suicide bomber, carrying 20 pounds of explosives packed with ball bearings, acted alone, and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable.
The blast at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26 killed 11 U.S. Marines, a sailor and a soldier, who were screening the thousands of Afghans frantically trying to get onto one of the crowded flights leaving the country after the Taliban takeover. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
At the Pentagon on Friday, military officials laid out a detailed and graphic minute-by-minute account of the bombing. The bottom line, they said, was that those who died had wounds that were so catastrophic that they couldnt be overcome. And they said that earlier thoughts that it was a complex attack involving gunfire turned out to be unfounded.
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Investigators said the bomber likely got near the gate by bypassing Taliban and other security checkpoints. They said it appears the Taliban didnt know of the attack, that security precautions were being taken and that intelligence about potential threats that was circulating that day was not specific.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-evacuations-kabul-cf040d942b2c0eee88f71b556143388a