Biden says an attack at the airport in Kabul is ‘highly likely’ in the next 24 to 36 hours

President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday that his national security team warned an attack at the airport in Kabul is “highly likely in the next 24-36 hours.” “The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high,” Biden said, adding that he directed U.S. commanders to “take every possible measure to prioritize force protection.”

Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Thursday that ISIS is likely to try to continue attacks before the evacuations conclude. “We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue,” the four-star general told reporters at the Pentagon, adding that the U.S. was monitoring an “extremely active threat stream against the airfield.”

McKenzie, who oversees U.S. military operations in the region, said the threats against Western forces and civilians at the airport ranged from gunfire to rockets to suicide bombings. “So very, very real threat streams, what we would call tactical that means imminent, could occur at any moment,” he said. McKenzie said that he did not foresee requesting additional U.S. troops for the mission.

The latest threat assessment follows a U.S. drone strike on Friday that killed two high-profile ISIS-K members in Afghanistan.

Biden says an attack at the airport in Kabul is ‘highly likely’ in the next 24 to 36 hours, CNBC, Aug 30