New Delhi, Aug 27 (TIWN) Islamic State-Khorasan might have taken the responsibility for the suicide attacks in Kabul on Thursday that left at least 90 dead, but the Taliban faction partially in control of security in Kabul over the past several days, the Haqqani network, must also be scrutinised, writes Sajjan M. Gohel in the journal Foreign Policy.

There have been repeated warnings of a potential airport attack over the last week. When it came, it was not spontaneous or random but a well-planned assault, using multiple bombs and targets calculated to achieve several objectives. The first and most obvious goal was to kill fleeing Afghans and discourage others from attempting to leave via the airport—or to close the airport itself. But another goal was the death of coalition troops, thus using the specter of terror to ensure the West stuck to the agreed on Aug. 31 deadline to leave the country. The timing of the attack, on the cusp of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, sends out a powerful signal to other jihadists.