The United States used a special Hellfire missile, dubbed “the flying Ginsu,” in a retaliatory airstrike against the Islamic State militants in Afghanistan over the weekend, following a suicide bomb attack in Kabul that left 13 US soldiers dead.
The missile, which was transported by a Reaper drone, is called an R9X and packs no explosives. It instead ejects six large blades at the target of the strike to help reduce civilian casualties. Its nickname is a nod to the popular knives sold on TV infomercials during the 1980s with the same name. It has also reportedly been referred to as the “ninja bomb.”
Its use had not previously been disclosed, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing two US officials.
In a statement, US Central Command said the operation targeted a “planner” for ISIS-K, the group also known as the Islamic State Khorasan, which took credit for the deadly bombing attack.
Afghans gather outside a burned-out car that was the target for a retaliatory US airstrike on ISIS-K. MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES/POLARIS
The missile, which was transported by a Reaper drone, is called an R9X and packs no explosives, instead ejecting six large blades at targets. AP Photo/Lt. Col.. Leslie Pratt, US Air Force
The Predator Hellfire missile is shown on a virtual camera. The missile is used to reduce civilian casualties. AP Photo/Damian DovarganesWhile the Pentagon has not released the identities of the individuals targeted, the airstrike killed two people with ties to the Islamic State and injured another Saturday.
The strike site was in the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. A neighbor reportedly said three people were killed and four wounded, including a woman, disputing the Pentagon’s report.
Video of the strike site reviewed by the Wall Street Journal reportedly showed a small blast hole outside a home next to an auto-rickshaw that appeared to be charred. Windows shown in the footage were blown out and walls were pocked with shrapnel.
The location of the airstrike that was launched in retaliation for the bombing at the Kabul airport. Xinhua via Getty Images
A group of people recite Islamic prayers for the civilians who were killed in the American airstrike. MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES
According to the Pentagon, the airstrike killed two people with ties to the Islamic State and injured another. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty ImagesWhile the US government never formally acknowledged the existence of the missile following the Wall Street Journal first reporting on it in 2019, the outlet claims several US officials have described the missile and its use.
Saturday’s airstrike was in retaliation for a suicide bomb attack outside the Kabul airport that killed 13 US military personnel and nearly 200 Afghans last Thursday. The attack came as hundreds of Americans and Afghan allies attempted to evacuate the embattled country following the Taliban’s takeover two weeks ago.
Following Thursday’s attack, President Biden vowed to “not forgive” and “not forget” those responsible for the attack, and said he had ordered US generals to plan retaliatory strikes on the group’s key assets.
Afghans look up as the last US transport leaves Afghanistan before the August 31, 2021, deadline. MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES“We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said. “I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.”
The US is set to fully withdraw military troops from the embattled nation by Aug. 31, and is attempting to evacuate as many Americans and Afghan allies as possible before then.
US troops have evacuated approximately 116,700 people since Aug. 14, including 1,200 within 24 hours ending Monday morning. Five thousand five hundred American citizens have been evacuated so far and Biden administration officials believe around 300 remain in the country.
