and the Taliban moves in. Victor J. Blue/NYT
Kabul Bombing
On Aug. 26, a suicide bomber attacked Hamid Karzai International Airport, where the United States (US) military has been evacuating refugees from Afghanistan since the capital of Kabul fell on Aug. 15. Over 70 people, including thirteen American servicemen, died in the bombing, according to the Associated Press.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant – Khorasan, a subgroup of the terrorist organization ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attack on the airfield, while the Taliban has denied any connection with the suicide bombing.
US President Joe Biden said the attack would not change current plans for evacuation by Aug. 31.
“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said in a White House speech according to the Associated Press.
Among the dead was Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, who was 20 years old on his first deployment.
“McCollum’s father, Jim, told the New York Times that McCollum was helping with evacuations and guarding a checkpoint when the attack at the airport happened,” NPR wrote. “His father said this was McCollum’s first deployment and that he had gotten married recently. His wife is expecting their first child.”
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida, a category 4 hurricane, made landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29. The Governor of Louisiana warned it was “one of the strongest to hit the state since the 1850s”, according to NBC.
Local TV organization WWL-TV has reported that over one million people, including the entire city of New Orleans, is without power. Only one death has been reported as of Monday.
“Ida is tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the U.S. mainland and struck 16 years to the day after deadly Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans,” USA Today said. “President Joe Biden declared Ida a disaster, releasing federal funds to assist with rescue and recovery efforts on Monday.”
Traffic jams were reported on major highways around New Orleans the days before Ida struck, and residents that chose to stay were suggested to board their homes and stock up on supplies.
