USA offers reward for information on Daesh-K leader, Kabul airport attack
February 8, 2022, 3:17 am

USA offers reward for information on Daesh-K leader, Kabul airport attack

Troops in Afghanistan

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, the United States said on Monday it was offering a reward of up to $10 million each for information leading to the identification or location of Daesh-K leader Sanaullah Ghafari and for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for a deadly August 2021 attack at Kabul airport.

Daesh-K is the regional affiliate of the terrorist group which first appeared in 2014 and is named after an old term for the region. It has previously fought both the Western-backed government that fell in August and the Taliban.

The US State Department said, in June 2020, Ghafari was appointed by the extremist group to lead Daesh-K. Ghafari was responsible for approving all Daesh-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding to conduct operations.

In November, the State Department designated Ghafari as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”

The US military said on Friday that a single Daesh bomber killed 13 US troops and at least 170 Afghans at Kabul airport last August.

Two explosions reported in Afghanistan, killing 4 children and injuring one

The bombing occurred on Aug. 26 as US troops were trying to help both Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover, and compounded America’s sense of defeat after 20 years of war.

It also left President Joe Biden’s administration struggling to answer accusations that the State Department could have evacuated Americans sooner instead of putting US troops at risk.

Caretaker government of Afghanistan downplays IS security threat and arrests 600 militants

US officials said in November they believed Daesh-K could develop the ability to strike outside of Afghanistan within six to 12 months.

Source: arabnews

Muslim schoolboy in London forced to stop praying by teacher who saw it as ‘act of defiance’ Belarus plans to deploy up to 200 troops to Syria

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.