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US military leaders knew in advance that a "mass casualty event" was planned at Kabul airport, a Politico report reveals. However, accounts from the troops in harm's way suggest that nothing was done.See also:
The initial bombing didn't take US officials by surprise. The US embassy in Kabul had warned Americans to stay away from the airport due to "security threats" and, in the hours before the suicide attack, Pentagon leaders held a conference call to prepare for an imminent "mass casualty event," according to a Politico report on Monday.
The report says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Wednesday with senior Pentagon leaders - including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Peter Vasely, commander of American forces in Afghanistan, and Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division at Kabul Airport.
Milley warned of "significant" intelligence indicating that ISIS-K, a regional offshoot of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terror group was plotting a "complex attack," and the brass in Afghanistan stated that the attack would likely take place at the airport's Abbey Gate, where droves of Afghans had gathered in the hopes of a spot on an evacuation flight.
The attack was due to take place within the following 24-48 hours, according to notes from the conference call detail.
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While the Politico article details a frantic yet failed attempt to prevent a massacre, accounts from US troops on the ground in Kabul tell a story of negligence.
Multiple troops stationed at the airport messaged a veteran-run Instagram business page, claiming that they had received word of an incoming suicide bomber, but were instructed by superiors to continue "police calling" (picking up trash) regardless.
Another said that their commanders had precise information about what the suicide bomber looked like, and what time they would strike, down to the hour. "All day on the radio it was a countdown," the service member posted.



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