US forces struck an ISIS-K terrorist vehicle ahead of a potential attack on the Kabul airport

• US forces struck a suicide bomber linked to ISIS-K on Sunday.
• ISIS-K is the group believed to be responsible for the devastating Kabul airport attack on Thursday.
• The airport attack left at least 13 US service members dead.

US military forces in Afghanistan conducted a drone strike on Sunday against a suicide car bomber linked to ISIS-K, thwarting a potential attack on Kabul airport, US officials said.

"We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material," US Central Command spokesman US Navy Capt. Bill Urban said in a statement. "We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time. We remain vigilant for potential future threats," Urban said.

ISIS-K is the group believed to be responsible for a devastating Kabul airport attack last week that killed 13 US service members and an estimated 169 Afghans. The attack happened as the US was evacuating Americans and at-risk Afghans from Kabul as the Taliban again takes control of the country.

-Matt Seyler (@MattSeyler) August 29, 2021

ISIS-K, which has fought the Taliban as well as US-led troops, has sought to complicate the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which comes 20 years after US-led forces first entered the country during the "War on Terror." The Taliban reclaimed control of the government, overrunning US-led forces, in a swift offensive this month.

President Joe Biden ordered a retaliatory attack on ISIS-K in response to the airport bombing.

The drone strike killed two ISIS-K members and injured a third, Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Saturday.

Kirby didn't provide details on the members' identities, nor their exact involvement with the airport bombings, though he said the terror group "lost a planner, and they lost a facilitator." He added that there were no civilian casualties.

President Joe Biden on Saturday warned that another terror attack at the Kabul airport "is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours."