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13 U.S. troops killed in ISIS attacks on Kabul airport

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The bombings came just hours after defense officials warned about an increased terrorist threat from the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan

Thirteen U.S. troops were killed and 18 were injured on Thursday when ISIS militants set off two bombs outside Kabul’s main airport, the Pentagon said, where thousands of people have been gathering in recent days amid a massive evacuation effort by the U.S. and NATO allies.

The attacks from ISIS’s affiliate in Afghanistan were the deadliest U.S. casualty event there since 2011, and they come as the U.S. is just days away from a complete withdrawal from a country now controlled by the Taliban.

An ISIS militant wearing a suicide vest was responsible for the first bombing, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter told POLITICO, detonating around 5 p.m. local time just outside Abbey Gate. ISIS gunmen then opened fire on the crowd. Three sources said U.S. troops returned fire soon after. NATO troops were ordered to leave the airport gates immediately due to the threat of additional attacks, two people said.

Videos from the scene viewed by POLITICO showed dozens of bodies strewn across a sewage canal and the surrounding banks outside Kabul’s main airport, which President Joe Biden has warned was vulnerable to terror attacks in recent days.

In remarks at the White House later Thursday, Biden said he has ordered his top military officials to attack the terror group’s assets.

“We will respond with precision at our time at a place that we choose and the moment of our choosing,” Biden said. “Here’s what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win.”

The news comes just hours after defense officials began warning about an increased terrorist threat from the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K. Defense officials briefed lawmakers on Tuesday about the new threat targeting airport gates and military and commercial aircraft evacuating people from Kabul, POLITICO first reported.

The explosion occurred at Abbey Gate, where U.S. personnel until recently welcomed American citizens to board evacuation flights, and the Baron Hotel, roughly 300 meters from the site of the first detonation, Pentagon spokesperson Kirby confirmed earlier Thursday. British troops had been using the hotel as a base for evacuating U.K. personnel.

“We try to push out the boundary even further so we don’t get large crowds massing at the gate,” Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters. “Clearly at Abbey Gate today we had a larger crowd there than we would like. Which goes to show you the system is not perfect.”

In the meantime, the evacuation flights out of the airport are still running, a defense official told POLITICO.

While the U.S. controls Hamid Karzai International Airport, the Biden administration has been coordinating with the Taliban on security measures outside the airport’s perimeter — a strategy that has proven complicated as Taliban fighters have reportedly been trying to prevent Afghans from fleeing the country. The Taliban has also not stood up effective counterterrorism measures to identify and prevent threats from groups like ISIS-K, which are sworn enemies of the Taliban.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the attacks a “devastating reminder of the dangerous conditions in which our servicemembers and diplomats are operating,” in a statement issued later Thursday.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), who served in Afghanistan, told reporters that lawmakers were briefed on the ISIS-K threat during a classified session on Wednesday. “So it was a credible and real threat,” he said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the chamber back into session for briefings and possible legislative action.

On Wednesday evening local time in Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued an alert warning Americans to avoid the area “[b]ecause of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport.”

Less than an hour before confirming the explosion, Kirby said the evacuation was continuing and that the U.S. was committed to relocating “as many people as we can until the end of the mission.”

As of early Thursday morning, the White House said the total number of people evacuated from Kabul since the operation began on Aug. 14 was 95,700, including 13,400 in the last 24 hours. Biden has drawn bipartisan criticism for sticking to an Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country, with lawmakers and top officials warning that Americans and vulnerable Afghans would be left behind if the mission ended prematurely.

Later Thursday, Blinken said “more than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated from Kabul.”

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghan security forces had long formed a so-called ring of steel around the capital city, with multiple checkpoints operating along main roads and a U.S.-led intelligence system tracking extremists. There have been a series of spectacular Taliban and ISIS attacks in Kabul over the years, but that old system has evaporated since the city’s fall to the Taliban, replaced by chaos and uncertainty, opening the city to attack.

No individual or group has yet taken responsibility for the attack. But Biden this week warned that ISIS wanted to strike the airport. U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence detailed some of its specifics to POLITICO, such as ISIS’s plans to detonate a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and launch shoulder-fired rockets.

ISIS has moved fighters and materials for the bombs from Nangarhar and Kunar provinces to areas around the airport, a U.S. official said. On Thursday morning, that U.S. official added that an IED attack to breach the outer perimeter wall of the airport might come within six hours. Afterward, ISIS fighters would shoot into the crowd with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades “in hopes of reaching processing centers” at the airport, the official said.

In the last day, the Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, had denied that an airport attack had been imminent, telling The Associated Press about the warnings: “It’s not correct.”

The attack ranks as one of the deadliest days in Afghanistan for U.S. forces, coming behind two helicopter shootdowns. The largest loss of life came in 2011 when a helicopter carrying 30 Americans was shot down, killing 17 Navy SEALs, five sailors, five soldiers and three airmen. The second deadliest day came in 2005 during Operation Red Wings, when another helicopter was shot down killing eight SEALs and eight Army special operations soldiers.

Culled from the Politico 

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Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” debuts in Houston

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In two weeks, citizens from across the city of Houston will spring into the new season with the official launching of a transformational faith-based praise, worship, and healing experience that guarantees to bring full restoration, excitement, and joy into the lives of many!

Pastors Dr. Andy Osakwe and Ndidi Osakwe (who recently arrived in the city to meet with fellow faith-based leaders) will host the inaugural Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” (Presented by AOMI and Mission USA) on Sunday, April 7th at The Power Center’s ‘Community Collective for Houston’ (12401 South Post Oak). The on-site event will be located inside the Jesse H. Jones Ballroom and event doors will open promptly at 5 PM.

Join pastors Dr. Andy Osakwe and Ndidi Oaskwe as they host this transformative healing encounter infused with soul-lifting worship from gospel music’s finest, led by international gospel star recording artist Pastor Nathaniel Bassey, Lakewood Church worship leader, Pastor Fiona Mellett, popular Houston-based worship leader and Pastor Dr. Ronke Adekosan, and recording artist, social media faith influencer Minister Melissa Bethea.

The Sunday evening celebration will feature a variety of well-known and emerging faith leaders and musical performances that will usher the audiences through prayer declarations, reading of scripture, praise and worship sessions, laying of hands, deliverance, and testimonials. Over fifty faith-based practitioners worldwide will be present to help orchestrate an experience that will deeply transform the lives of many from within. The event will present an opportunity for individuals from all walks of life and faith to join together in an environment that will spread love, encouragement, and support for all of mankind. Complimentary child care is available for children between the ages of 4 and 10.

Additionally, the Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” will serve as an official launch pad and countdown for Pastors Andy and Ndidi’s official Houston church and ministry planting in continuation of their successful global ministry work. It is the hope and desire of the pastors to support communities to overcome adversities faced in life regularly. Dr. Andy Osakwe is the founder and overseer of the Summit Bible Church and president of Andrew Osakwe Ministries International.

Ultimately, Dr. Andy’s hope and desire to establish a worship and healing experience speaks for itself. “It will be a phenomenal and highly impactful spiritual encounter that will result in restorative liberty and transformation, which will usher in a new season of fruitfulness and personal advancement for each person in attendance.”

For Press & Media Inquiries (832) 941-8952 evomahcomm@gmail.com

To learn more about the Breakforth Summit 2024 registration and volunteer opportunities, please visit the official event website online at  www.breakforthsummit.com/htx or to keep up with the latest updates from Dr. Andy and Ndidi Osakwe, please visit www.andrewosakweministries.org.

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Fani Willis Judge Rules that Trump Cannot Hire Co-Defendant – He’s Black

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Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the sweeping election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, is not allowing co-defendant Harrison Floyd to work for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

McAfee denied Floyd’s request to revise his bond agreement in a short order on Thursday. Floyd, who led Black Voices for Trump four years ago, asked the judge last month to loosen the conditions of his bond so that he could work on Trump’s presidential campaign and speak about Trump on social media. McAfee had said, at the time, that he’d be open to modifications so that Floyd could speak about current events.

Floyd, who was indicted on three felony counts stemming from his efforts to help Trump overturn his loss in Georgia, is currently prohibited from having contact with the witnesses and other co-defendants in the case. He was also banned from speaking about them on social media after he posted comments that some witnesses interpreted as threatening.

Floyd, a senior campaign staffer for Trump’s 2020 campaign, was indicted alongside the former president and 17 others for violating Georgia’s racketeering laws in August. Floyd was also charged with influencing a witness and conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements. Trump and Floyd have both pleaded not guilty.

According to the indictment, Floyd allegedly harassed Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman after she refused to change the results of the county’s vote in the 2020 election.

He was the only one of the 19 defendants in the case to spend time behind bars at the Fulton County Jail. Floyd, unlike the other defendants, turned himself in without a lawyer or bond agreement on August 24. He was not released until August 30 after his lawyer negotiated a $100,000 bond.

Floyd is also facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting two FBI agents who were sent to serve him with a grand jury subpoena.

In November, McAfee had rejected a call from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis‘ office to revoke Floyd’s bond and jail him, citing recent social media posts that prosecutors said “demonstrate that he poses a significant threat of intimidating witnesses.” McAfee found no intimidation in any of those posts but found a technical violation because Floyd tagged witnesses in the posts. As a result, he banned Floyd from making any posts about those involved in the Georgia case.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month that Floyd attorney Christopher Kachouroff told McAfee his client wanted to resume his role as a paid Trump campaign operative, which would involve communications with the former president or other co-defendants in the case.

Kachouroff also said Floyd wanted to speak about his case over social media to help raise money for his legal defense. Many of the other co-defendants have started crowdsourcing donations for their legal fees.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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