Aug 26, 2021 2:30 PM EDT

Rep. Schiff issues statement on Kabul attack

In a statement Thursday, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said that it’s too early to draw conclusions on who was responsible for Thursday’s attack in Kabul, but suggested that the extremist group ISIS-K had “a clear motivation” to disrupt American evacuation efforts out of the country.

“Our immediate task remains to assure the safe withdrawal of American civilians, diplomatic personnel, and U.S. servicemembers and the evacuation of the Afghan partners who have served and sacrificed alongside us, as well other individuals at imminent risk,” Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, added.

ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State group, uses the “K” to reference an old name for Afghanistan: Khorasan. ISIS-K first appeared in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014.