Citing sources within the US administration, Reuters reported that the Daesh member who directed the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing that killed around 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers, has been killed by Islamic Emirate forces.

“He was a key ISIS-K official directly involved in plotting operations like Abbey Gate, and now is no longer able to plot or conduct attacks,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The deputy spokesman of the US Department of State, Vedant Patel, sais the “degradation of ISIS in the region continues to be a top priority for this administration and it’s something that we continue to work collectively on with our allies and partners and others in the region.” 

The Islamic Emirate has not confirmed the killing of the mastermind of the Kabul airport attack but said that many of the Daesh sanctuaries have been eliminated in various provinces of Afghanistan.  

“There have been operations against the Daesh group recently, particularly our special forces have conducted more operations, which means that in the various provinces they had sanctuaries and their key members have been eliminated. We cannot say now whether the individual involved in the airport attack is involved or not. We need to investigate,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, Islamic Emirate spokesman. 

“Daesh is not only a threat to the stability in Afghanistan but also a threat to the regional and beyond regional countries,” said Sadiq Shinwari, a military veteran.  

The attack on the Abbey Gate occurred on August 26, 2021, during the withdrawal of the American forces from Afghanistan.