Not The Taliban, The US Is Worried About This Group's Terrorist Attacks While Evacuating Its Citizens In Afghanistan

Illustration of the Taliban Army. (Wikimedia Commons/isafmedia)

JAKARTA - The United States government is said to be focused on potential terrorist attacks in Afghanistan by groups such as ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), arch foes of the Taliban, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC Nightly News on Thursday.

Sullivan said getting Americans out of Afghanistan was a risky operation, given questions about whether the Taliban would continue to allow safe passage of people to airports, as well as other possibilities such as possible attacks by Islamist groups such as ISIS-K.

"One of the contingencies that we are very focused on, is the potential for terrorist attacks by groups like ISIS-K, which of course is a staunch enemy of the Taliban, so we will continue to work to minimize the risk and maximize the number of people on board," Sullivan said. Friday 20 August.

US officials say they are working around the clock to evacuate Americans and those helping US troops out of Kabul, but the security situation on the ground is challenging given the presence of groups like ISIS-K.

Sullivan's Security Adviser told NBC it was unclear how many Americans were still in the country. However, President Biden's Administration is committed to bringing any Americans who wish to go and contact US officials on board. Still, he warned that the situation was fluid.

"We have now established contact with the Taliban to allow safe passage of people to the airport. And it is working now to put Americans and Afghans at risk to the airport. Therefore, we cannot rely on anything," he said.

Sullivan added that Washington would continue to work to minimize the risk and maximize the number of people on board.

To note, the Islamic State of Khorasan, also known as IS-K or ISIS-K, remains active three years after its founding, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which says the group receives support from Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

CSIS says the group is responsible for nearly 100 attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as about 250 clashes with US, Afghan and Pakistani security forces since January 2017.