The mastermind behind the August 2021 ISIS bombing at Kabul airport has been killed by the Taliban, US officials report. The blast killed 13 US soldiers and at least 170 Afghan civilians as they tried to escape the country following the Taliban's rise to power. US officials, who did not release the name of the deceased, confirmed that intelligence gathering and monitoring of the region led to their determination that the individual was responsible for the bombing. How the man died and whether the Taliban were responsible or if he was killed during fighting between IS and the Taliban is not clear. The US learned of his death in early April. The Taliban's elimination of the militant leader follows criticism from the West that the Taliban has not done enough to suppress terrorist activity in Afghanistan. The US and its allies had warned of an imminent attack at Kabul International Airport by the Islamic State's Afghanistan branch, also known as IS-K, prior to the explosion.