US offers reward for information on Daesh-K leader, Kabul airport attack

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the August 26 attack which killed scores of people including US troops, at Kabul airport. (File/AFP)

• In June 2020, Ghafari was appointed by the extremist group to lead Daesh-K
• He was responsible for approving all Daesh-K operations throughout Afghanistan, arranging funding to conduct operations

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday it was offering a reward of up to $10 million each for information leading to the identification or location of Daesh-K leader Sanaullah Ghafari and for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for a deadly August 2021 attack at Kabul airport.
Daesh-K is the regional affiliate of the terrorist group which first appeared in 2014 and is named after an old term for the region. It has previously fought both the Western-backed government that fell in August and the Taliban.
In June 2020, Ghafari was appointed by the extremist group to lead Daesh-K. Ghafari was responsible for approving all Daesh-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding to conduct operations, the US State Department said.
In November, the State Department designated Ghafari as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”
The US military said on Friday that a single Daesh bomber killed 13 US troops and at least 170 Afghans at Kabul airport last August.
The bombing occurred on Aug. 26 as US troops were trying to help both Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover, and compounded America’s sense of defeat after 20 years of war.
It also left President Joe Biden’s administration struggling to answer accusations that the State Department could have evacuated Americans sooner instead of putting US troops at risk.
US officials said in November they believed Daesh-K could develop the ability to strike outside of Afghanistan within six to 12 months.