‘We will hunt you down’: Joe Biden tells perpetrators of deadly Kabul attacks

The American President insisted the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan, slated to be completed by August 31, will continue undeterred by the twin terror attacks

US President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the suicide bombings carried out by the ISIS-K terror group near the Kabul airport on Thursday that killed dozens of people, including Afghan civilians and 13 US troops.

US President Joe Biden listens to a question from a member of the media as he delivers remarks about Afghanistan, from the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on August 26, 2021. (REUTERS)

He insisted the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan will continue undeterred by the twin attacks.

Biden’s warning carries weight as the US military has in the past taken out Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who had masterminded the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in America; Islamic State (IS) founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; and Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, considered the fountainhead of terrorism in West Asia.

“To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this - we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command,” Biden said in a speech from the White House.

The American president went on to strike a note of defiance. “We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation,” he said.

Bien is facing continuing criticism at home and abroad for the abrupt withdrawal of US and US-led international forces from Afghanistan despite his and his aides’ attempts to blame the unfolding mess on his predecessor former US president Donald Trump and his 2020 deal with the Taliban.

Biden has also faced pressure to extend the self-imposed deadline of August 31 for pulling out all American troops and personnel from Afghanistan.

He has repeatedly pushed back against criticism, arguing that it’s time to end America’s longest war, and that the troop pull-out process would be messy irrespective of when it is eventually carried out.