A senior ISIS-K commander said two weeks before the deadly bombing near Kabul's airport on Thursday that an attack was coming but that the group "was laying low and waiting for a time to strike."
The commander, whose real identity was disguised, told CNN's Clarissa Ward at the time that the ISIS affiliate was able to get through checkpoints to enter Kabul with ease. To prove it, he allowed the network crew to film his entrance into the city.
Abdul Munir, as he asked to be called, spoke to Ward about his experiences with suicide bombings and public executions, as well as clashes with both U.S. forces and the Taliban, according to the CNN interview, which aired Friday.
"Yes, I have too many memories where I was present myself at these scenes," he said through a translator, talking about the Pakistani Taliban. "During the fighting, we captured five people. Our fighters became overexcited and struck them with axes."
The commander also pointed out that, as foreigners fled Afghanistan, his group looked to expand.
He said that "we can restart our operations" after their departure. However, the commander claimed that he did not know of plans outside of the region, noting that it is above his level.
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ISIS-K claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide bombing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghans.
President Joe Biden has since said that whichever group carried out the attacks would pay. The U.S. military launched a drone strike in the region Saturday morning local time, targeting an ISIS-K "planner."
The U.S. national security team has warned of additional terrorist attacks amid continued efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies from the region.
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