US Concerned About Security at Kabul Airport, 'Very Specific Threat Stream'

The United States believes that a branch of ISIS intends to cause mayhem at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as evacuation efforts continue, a defense official told CNN.

According to the official, who was not named, the U.S. has intelligence streams suggesting that ISIS-K, a branch of the terrorist organization that opposes the Taliban whose name comes from the Khorasan region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, is planning to carry out attacks to wreak havoc at the airport.

In a report last month, the Defense Department Inspector-General for Afghanistan found that from April to June, "ISIS-Khorasan exploited the political instability and rise in violence during the quarter by attacking minority sectarian targets and infrastructure to spread fear and highlight the Afghan government's inability to provide adequate security."

President Joe Biden appeared to acknowledge that the airport is a potential target for attacks while evacuation efforts continue.

"Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians," Biden said on Tuesday.

A counterterrorism source told CNN that it's possible that up to several hundred members of ISIS-K recently escaped after two prisons near Kabul were overthrown by the Taliban before they entered the capital.

When asked by CNN about the escape reports, a Taliban spokesperson said that they have not been confirmed, and when asked about the potential for terrorist attacks at or near the airport in Kabul, the spokesperson said: "There have been reports that some ill-wishers want to disrupt the security situation there by attacking and harming people and the media. So don't go close to the airport, to avoid being hurt."

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