Taliban kill organizer of Kabul airport blast

The U.S. National Security Council on Tuesday confirmed the killing of the Islamic State group leader who organized the August 2021 bombing in the Afghanistan capital city. The suicide bombing killed 13 American troops and 170 Afghans as the United States withdrew from the country. The Taliban said the IS leader died during a series of battles earlier this month in southern Afghanistan. The United States was not involved in killing the leader, according to the Pentagon.

How have the families of those killed in the bombing responded? Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, told The Associated Press said he was frustrated with the lack of “truth” and basic information about the militant’s death—including the person’s name. He wants the Biden administration to take responsibility for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about what Afghanistan looks like one year into the new Taliban rule.