50 min ago
US officials believe ISIS-K likely responsible for attack, but still working to confirm, sources say
From CNN's Zachary Cohen and Natasha Bertrand
US officials believe ISIS-K was likely behind the attack at Kabul airport but are still working to confirm the terror group’s involvement, according to a senior US official and another source briefed on initial assessments.
The second source told CNN it may take a few hours before US officials are able to identify the specific individuals who carried out the apparent suicide bombing, which should confirm ISIS-K was responsible.
Warning signals have been out there for three days, the sources added.
Over the past week President Biden and the Pentagon have warned of an ISIS attack at the airport as the threat became more acute.
Biden has used this as rationale for getting US troops out by the deadline. He also promised a swift and forceful response to any disruption to the operation.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that concerns about security around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have increased based on "a very specific threat stream" from
ISIS-K about planned attacks against crowds outside the airport
The US believes ISIS-K, which is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, wants to create mayhem at the airport and has intelligence streams suggesting it is capable and planning to carry out multiple attacks, a defense official told CNN Wednesday.