The US said its airstrike killed two senior members of the “Islamic State-Khorasan” group in Afghanistan in retaliation for the deadly Kabul airport bombing. Follow DW for the latest.

• Pentagon said it killed 2 ‘high profile’ IS-K members
• The UK, France and Spain have finished evacuations from Kabul
  Germany, the UK and the Netherlands agreed that evacuations remained a priority
• The US is on high alert for further attacks after the Kabul airport bombing

Biden pledges more strikes against IS-K

After the Pentagon said two IS-K members were killed in a US drone strike, Biden said, “This strike was not the last.”

Biden pledged that the US “will continue to hunt down any person” who was involved in the Kabul airport bombing earlier this week and “make them pay.”

The US president also said the situation in Kabul “continues to be extremely dangerous.”

“Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection,” Biden said in a statement.

Germany, UK, Netherlands agree evacuations still a priority
Merkel’s office said the German chancellor discussed the situation in Afghanistan with the Dutch and British premiers.

Steffen Seibert, Merkel’s spokesman, said the three leaders spoke about “possible political and diplomatic options,” and that they “were in agreement” that evacuating allied-Afghans “will continue to be a top priority.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he and Merkel “agreed to have a presence again as soon as possible in Kabul, working with the UK and other countries, as soon as the political and security situation allows.”

Rutte said the Dutch government “will keep doing everything possible to enable evacuations to be resumed.”
German foreign minister to head to Afghanistan’s neighbors
Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is due to travel to five countries that are involved in efforts to help Afghans.

Maas’ four-day trip, starting Sunday, will include visits to Turkey and Qatar, as well as Afghanistan’s neighboring countries Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

After the German evacuation mission ended, Maas vowed to continue working “until all those for whom we are responsible in Afghanistan are safe.”

The German Foreign Office said at least 300 Germans and more than 10,000 Afghans who had worked with German organizations were still in Afghanistan after the last German airlift out of Kabul.

US troops begin final pullout
The US military has begun the final withdrawal of its soldiers from Afghanistan, the Pentagon confirmed.

A State Department spokesperson said at least 5,400 US citizens have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14.

Another 350 US citizens, however, are still seeking to leave Afghanistan, according to the spokesperson.

France says talks with the Taliban are underway
France is in talks with the Taliban — through Qatar — to “protect and repatriate” Afghans at risk, Macron said.

“Our goal is that in the days, weeks, months ahead, [France could] proceed with targeted evacuation operations of these men and women whom we identified,” Macron said, hinting that airlines could be used “with security conditions that remain to be defined.”

The French president did not further elaborate, but said the talks “remain fragile and very provisional.”

Taliban condemn US strike
A Taliban spokesman condemned the US drone strike against IS-K members and said the operation was a “clear attack on Afghan territory,” according to Reuters.

The spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Taliban expected to take full control of the Kabul airport shortly, once US forces leave.

Pentagon: US drone strike killed senior IS-K members
A US airstrike killed two “high profile” members of the IS-K militia and left another wounded, according to the Pentagon.

No civilians were hurt in the bombing, Major General Hank Taylor told reporters.

It was not immediately clear if the people targeted were directly involved in the Kabul airport bombing.

John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, refused to reveal the names of the targets, but said the IS-K “lost a planner and lost a facilitator.”

“The fact that two of these individuals are no longer walking on the face of the Earth, that’s a good thing,” Kirby added.

The US had earlier reported killing an IS-K “planner” in an airstrike. Kirby clarified that the “facilitator” was also killed in the same attack.

UN food agency urges aid to Afghanistan
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) called on the international community to maintain humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

The FAO noted that besides the political turmoil, Afghanistan is also struggling with severe drought that is threatening the livelihoods of more than 7 million farmers.

“Urgent agricultural support now is key to counter the impact of the drought and a worsening situation in Afghanistan’s vast rural areas in the weeks and months ahead,” the FAO said in a statement.

US draws down Kabul airport troops — source
The number of US troops at Kabul airport has now fallen to below 4,000, a US official told the Reuters news agency, down from a peak of 5,800 during the operation.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said a drone strike that targeted an ISIS-K planner on Friday was not thought to have eliminated a senior militant.

UK says last evacuee flight has left
The UK says its final flight carrying Afghan evacuees has already left Kabul, and that further flights over the weekend will bring home remaining British troops.

London’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, said from Kabul airport that it was “time to close this phase of the operation now.”