The deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan since 2011, killing 182 people during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Kabul.
Key Facts
- Total killed
- At least 182 people
- Afghan civilians killed
- 169 people
- U.S. military killed
- 13 soldiers
- Attack time (local)
- 17:50, 26 August 2021
- Perpetrator
- ISIS–K (Islamic State – Khorasan Province)
- Civilians killed in follow-up drone strike
- 10 (incl. 7 children) people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan following the Taliban's rapid takeover of Kabul in August 2021, large crowds of civilians and foreign nationals gathered outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. ISIS–K, an enemy of both Western forces and the Taliban, exploited this vulnerability to plan and execute a mass-casualty attack.
On 26 August 2021 at 17:50 local time, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the airport's Abbey Gate, killing at least 182 people, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members. It was the first American military deaths in Afghanistan since February 2020. ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the attack.
The United States launched retaliatory drone strikes, one on 27 August targeting suspected ISIS–K members in Nangarhar Province, and a second on 29 August in Kabul that mistakenly killed ten Afghan civilians, including seven children. By 2023, the leader of the ISIS–K cell responsible was believed to have been killed by Taliban security forces.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent