Pentagon Spox John Kirby on ISIS Leaders Killed in Strike: It’s ‘Good Thing’ They’re ‘No Longer Walking On the Face of the Earth’
Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby responded to reporter questions regarding the current state of affairs in Afghanistan after a U.S. airstrike that took out ISIS-K leaders responsible for the Kabul Airport Attack, that killed 13 US Service Members.
Kirby, who is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy, spoke to the current level of threat in Afghanistan, specifically in regards to the airport security following the deadly attack.
“I’ll let the State Department speak for the advisory they sent out. That is not uncommon for them to do that, particularly in a country like Afghanistan,” stated Kirby.
He continued, “They’re constantly watching the threat environment, as are we, and they’re doing the prudent, responsible thing, to inform Americans there in Kabul about what’s best for their own safety.”
The reporter questioned Kirby as to “what capabilities ISIS might have lost in this drone strike.”
To which Kirby responded, “I’m not going to talk about specific capabilities ISIS may have lost in this strike. They lost a planner, and they lost a facilitator. They have one wounded.”
“The fact two of these individuals are no longer walking on the face of the Earth, it is a good thing. It is a good thing for the people of Afghanistan, for our troops and our forces at that airfield. I’ll leave it there.”
The reporter continued to ask follow-up questions regarding whether the U.S. will remain in Afghanistan through the 31st in order to complete evacuation efforts.
“We are going to complete this mission by the end of the month,” confirmed Kirby. “Nothing has changed about the timeline for us. We will do this as safe and orderly way as possible. That includes being able to continue to evacuate right up until the end.”
“Threats are still very real. They’re very dynamic, and we are monitoring them literally in real time. As I said yesterday, we’re taking all the means necessary to make sure we remain focused on that threat stream and doing what we can for force protection.”
Watch above via CNN
