Military

Taliban Kill Mastermind of Kabul Airport Bombing That Killed 13 U.S. Service Members

The U.S. was not involved in the operation, officials said, and are not relying on the Taliban for confirmation that he was killed

AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon, File

The mastermind of the deadly August 2021 attack at Kabul International Airport, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans seeking to flee the country, has been killed, according to three U.S. officials. 

The ISIS-K operative, whose name the officials would not provide, was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan earlier this month, the officials said.

The U.S. was not involved in the operation, the officials said, and are not relying on the Taliban for confirmation that he was killed.

At least 113 Afghans were killed and 180 injured in Thursday's attacks outside Kabul airport, according to an unnamed Afghan Health Ministry source. 13 U.S. servicemen were also killed.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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