Pentagon admits ‘thousands’ of Isis-K militants released from US prisons by Taliban
‘I don’t know the exact number - clearly it’s in the thousands but when you consider both prisons’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Pentagon has admitted the Taliban released “thousands” of Isis-K militants from US prisons in Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby was asked how many members of Isis-K, a wing of the Islamic State based in Afghanistan, were released from the prison at Bagram and why they were not removed before the United States began its final departure.
“I don’t know the exact number, clearly it’s in the thousands but when you consider both prisons,” he said.
The remarks came at a news briefing on Friday, a day after an attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport that the United States has said was likely committed by Isis-K killed 13 US service members.
A reporter asked why he could be so sure the Taliban was not responsible for the attack, and if they are ruling out the Taliban because the United States depends on them right now.
Mr Kirby responded by saying he didn’t hear Central Command leader Gen Kenneth McKenzie put it that way.
“The general said there was a failure somewhere, obviously, and he even alluded to the fact it could have been at a Taliban checkpoint,” he said.
“So we’ve not been certain about that at all. There’ll be an investigation. We’ll try to learn as much as we can about what happened and I don’t really want to get ahead of that process.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments