Taliban killed mastermind behind airport attack during 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal

The Taliban have killed the ISIS-K mastermind behind the 2021 bombing at the airport in Kabul that left 13 U.S. troops and 170 Afghans dead, according to The Associated Press.

The ISIS-K leader was killed by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan in early April during a series of military operations against the terrorist group, the AP reported, citing U.S. officials and the father of a Marine killed in the 2021 attack.

The Taliban may not have been aware of the person it had killed, but U.S. intelligence picked up on the leader's death with high confidence, according to The New York Times, which also spoke to senior U.S. officials.

The Taliban and ISIS-K, an offshoot of the larger terrorist organization, have been fighting since the U.S. withdrawal roughly two years ago.

U.S. officials have begun sharing the information of the militant leader's death with the families of the American servicemembers who died in the attack, according to several news outlets.

The August 2021 attack at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport was carried out by a suicide bomber carrying pounds of explosives.

The deadly event came amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation.

American forces were hurrying to evacuate U.S. citizens and refugees as the Taliban swept to power across the country and captured Kabul.

President Biden, who announced his re-election bid on Tuesday, has struggled with his messaging on the Afghanistan withdrawal, often perceived as the biggest blunger of his administration so far.

Earlier this month, the White House deflected criticism for the botched withdrawal, pinning the blame on the Trump administration and other factors.

House Republicans are investigating the withdrawal from Afghanistan and have recently demanded documents from the administration.