dangerous, selfless mission to salve the lives of others. the president also said this. we have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you, the families of those heroes. that obligation is not temporary. it lasts forever. the news continues here on cnn. we will not be deterred by terrorists. we will not let them stop our mission. we will continue the evacuation. joe biden addresses the nation after the terror attack that has now taken more than 100 lives in afghanistan. his message for the attackers. also, what is isis-k? and what is its end game? officials say another attack is imminent. our correspondents are standing by around the globe with the very latest. hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the united

states and all around the world. i appreciate your company. i'm michael holmes and this is "cnn newsroom. " u.s. military leaders are warning that the deadly suicide bombings outside kabul airport are likely just the beginning. we're about to show you some very graphic video of the scene. it is difficult to watch, but it is also important that we document the brutality of what is happening. more than 90 afghans and 13 u.s. service members were killed at the airport's main entrance gate for evacuees. and also, at the nearby baron hotel. the jihadist group, isis-k, has claimed responsibility for the attack which the u.s. and others have been warning about for days.

what you see there is a scene outside of a kabul hospital as families gathered hoping they would hear the names of their loved ones who were getting medical care. the u.s. president joe biden vowing to continue the airlift that has now brought more than 100,000 people out of afghanistan. and he's ordered the u.s. military to go after those behind the attack. >> for those who carried out this attack as well as anyone who wishes america harm, know this. we will not forgive. we will not forget. we will hunt you down and make you pay. >> the attack comes as u.s. forces race to evacuate americans and the thousands of afghans who helped them fight the taliban. despite the attack, scores of people are gathered at the airport hoping for flights out.

cnn international security editor, nick paton walsh, recently spent time in afghanistan. he is with us live this hour from doha in qatar. arlette saenz has reaction for us from the white house. and natasha bertrand is covering the u.s. state department. nick, let's go to you, first. what more do we know about what happened? why? and how? >> yeah. i mean, it's important to slowly piece together the details of this because according to the pentagon, this was what they call a complex attack. many different elements to it. now, it seems as though probably the first explosion was a suicide bomber. he's been identified by isis as possibly coming from the logar province. they have released a picture of him. now, he appears to have managed to get himself into a position near the abbey gate. often, very carefully selected. that's one of the main entry

points for them onto the airport, if not the only remaining one yesterday. he appears to have got himself into a position near a significant number of u.s. marines. now, i'm not entirely sure where that would have been. i have seen pictures of u.s. and uk troops outside of the abbey gate. along that runs a very long sewage duct which is, obviously, full of horrific material and a lot of individuals have been crowding around that and the razor wire, which is used at times to keep people back from the main gate there. it's unclear whether there were marines, at that point, outside of the gate or inside. the extent of the injuries which are, i have to say, extraordinary. the death toll, horrific. might suggest that this explosion occurred in a more densely packed area. there is what's called a search lane within the abbey gate area where people who had been picked out of the crowd are subsequently moved for processing and searching. we heard from general mackenzie, the cent-com chief, that the people who were -- the marines

who were searching this individual were so close, they could feel each other's breath on them. so it does possibly suggest to me that he may have been within that inner search lane unless they had chosen to search some people outside of the airport. i am not seeing much of that when i was brought there. certainly, all that went on inside the safety of the airport itself. that explosion appears to have claimed most of the u.s. lives here but then, it isn't quite clear how we have seen another 90 or so afghans killed at this stage. there was a secondary blast which appears to have happened near the baron hotel. that is quite close to where we are talking about here. so we could be roughly talking about a similar location. that was subsequently followed by gunfire, according to general mackenzie of cent-com, which also killed a number of civilians, too. so it looks like we are dealing with three possibly attackers at some point. the question is how did they get through the taliban security? and precisely, where did they

choose to launch this attack and when did they choose that moment, michael? >> thanks for that, nick paton walsh there. let's bring in arlette saenz in washington. i -- i guess this is a worst-case scenario for president biden. he said he had contingency plans thursday. said we will hunt you down and make you pay. is there any indication how? what can he actually do about this attack? >> well, michael, president biden was pretty forceful in making that vow that the u.s. would retaliate against those responsible for this attack. but the question is when and how? now, the president said that he asked the military to draw up some options for how to respond, including possible strikes against isis-k assets and leadership. he said that they have an idea of who may have been responsible, specifically, for this attack. but they are still waiting for those final ascertainments as they are looking to retaliate for this incredible loss of

life, which included 13 u.s. service members. the president and other military officials have, also, warned that another isis-k attack could be possible as they are evaluating further threats around the kabul airport. especially, as that august 31st drawdown deadline is approaching. so right now, you have the administration operating on dual tracks. trying to identify and hold those responsible for this attack. and then, also trying to safely evacuate americans and as many afghan allies as possible before that august-31st deadline on tuesday. now, the president in his remarks really used this -- this type of terror attack that we saw at the kabul airport. used that as further evidence for why he believes the u.s. does need to draw down from afghanistan. saying that he doesn't want to see more american lives put in jeopardy. so right now, you have the administration continuing to

reach out to those americans who remain in the country. the president said they have established contact with the majority of them. and -- and there are really fulsome efforts in the coming days will be focused on trying to get those americans out safely before that august-31st deadline. >> all right, arlette, thanks. arlette saenz there in washington. let's turn now to natasha bertrand joining me with more on this. natasha, what are you hearing about continuing isis threats to u.s. forces and afghans around the airport? >> yeah, michael. the threat continues to be very acute, according to officials speaking to us and, of course, general mackenzie also made that clear during a press conference today, publicly. he said that the threats range from vehicle-born devices, improvised-explosive devices, to rocket attacks to continued suicide attacks against people stationed outside the airport. against u.s. troops. against afghans trying to get out. now, the u.s. intelligence

community has been receiving a steady stream of intelligence about potential terrorist attacks by isis-k over the last week. but that intelligence was not enough, unfortunately, to thwart this attack at the airport. the airport right now according to officials that we have been speaking to it's just completely indefensible. and that is why president biden has made it such a top priority to get troops out -- um -- by tuesday. because he says that the threat that they are, you know, dealing with here is going to be persistent and it's going to get worse. um, officials were telling us today that really by the hour, the isis threat is worsening. they don't expect it to let up. and this is part of the reason, again, why they are relying so much on the taliban here to do security not only around the airport. but of course, also around kabul. that really didn't work today. obviously, we saw things slip through the cracks. these suicide bombers were able to get through this taliban checkpoint close to the airport where u.s. troops were stationed.

and so, the extent to which the taliban can actually provide security, especially when the u.s. has such limited forces now around the airport, is really an open question. >> appreciate the reporting, natasha bertrand, in washington there. appreciate that. i want to bring in lisa curtis now. she is a former-cia analyst who was a senior national security council official during the trump administration. she's now director of the indo-pacific security program at the center for a new american security. it's good to see you, again. around for a few years now. t do you kunar province. but the u.s. and afghan forces were able to beat -- beat back

that base in 2018. however, isis-k maintained capabilities to attack in kabul. and we've seen several major attacks by isis-k, primarily against the hazara shia community. this is a minority community in afghanistan. but yes, they unfortunately remain very capable of conducting these -- um -- major suicide bombings in kabul. >> yeah. they've done some horrendous attacks over the years. i'm curious your thought on, you know, what -- what are terror groups, the taliban, al qaeda, isis, but others too, what are they making of all of this? not just thursday's explosion but how the u.s. is leaving afghanistan? one analyst told me jihadists around the world are over the moon with what's happened and how. >> yes. i think that that's true. terrorists of all stripes are celebrating the u.s. leaving

afghanistan. they're likely to reconverge on the country as the taliban will allow jihadists to -- to come in. foreign-terrorist fighters, if they're coming from syria, iraq, or anywhere throughout the world, will -- will start to re-converge in afghanistan. and al qaeda will start to rebuild itself. we had degraded al qaeda's capabilities. they were down to maybe 100, 200 fighters. but now, they'll be able to regenerate and rebuild. and it's -- we're in a terrible situation. and part of this is due to the -- the terrible deal that was struck between the u.s. and taliban which is a very weak deal. and did not require the taliban to break from al qaeda or to eject al qaeda from afghanistan. >> well, of course, they promised they would. but that was -- that was a lie. i mean, the -- the -- the other thing i wanted to ask you about was the k in isis-k stands for

khorasan, which is a region, of course, encompassing much more than afghanistan. parts of south asia, iran, parts of china, pakistan, pakistan's intel service, the isi has been heavily involved with the taliban. do you worry about broader regional instability? >> absolutely. and i worry most about how this will impact india-pakistan relations. we are talking about two nuclear arm countries that have already fought three wars in the past 70 years. and have had major crises in just the last few years. and so, terrorist groups that attack india will now be emboldened. they'll be able to train and -- and regroup inside afghanistan. these are groups which have brought india and pakistan to the brink of war in the past. so there are very wide repercussions for the terror safe haven that we will see in afghanistan.

>> yeah. blowback for pakistan which has had -- well, through its intelligence service, the isi, has had its fingers in the taliban for some time. it's clear the u.s. had intelligence forewarning of this attack. how much harder will it be to get that kind of intelligence once the u.s. military leaves kabul? and what's the path forward for u.s. in dealing with terror in the region? what -- what effective capability will it have, versus what it has had? >> so, yeah, with the withdrawal of u.s. forces, u.s. intelligence capabilities will be severely diminished. we won't have eyes on the target. we won't be able to get to those targets as quickly. so we -- we've really lost a serious capability. and that's why -- um -- some people are had argued for peopling at least a small presence to be able to protect our counterterrorism interests. but that will no longer be possible. president biden talks about an

over-the-horizon capability. but that -- you know, that's going to be very difficult. you are talking about launching air -- air strikes from the middle east. and you are talking about trying to do intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance from the middle east. this is gonna be very, very difficult. >> yeah. yeah. absolutely. great analysis, as always. lisa curtis, thanks so much. good to see you. >> thank you. take a quick break. when we come back here on the program, more on the terror group that's believed to have carried out this attack. we'll explain where isis-k originated, and the threat it poses. we'll be right back. e revs] ricky bobby, today the road is your classroom. [zippers fasten] [engine revs] woo-hoo! it's time for your extracurriculars. ¡vámanos, amigos! this is the greatest idea you'll ever hear. okay, it's an app that compares

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with regard to finding, tracking down the isis leaders who ordered this, we will find ways of our choosing without large military operations to get them. wherever they are. the u.s. president, joe biden, there vowing to punish those responsible for the kabul

attack. the terror group isis-k claiming responsibility. so, who are they? they claim to be a branch of isis. the k stands for khorasan. an area around the afghan- afghan-pakistan border and into parts of iran, as well, and other parts of south asia. their goal is to create an islamic caliphate across afghanistan and beyond into some of those countries. along with being a rival and enemy of the taliban, they seek to target western organizations, civilians, and anyone who doesn't meet their severe interpretation of islam. they have already have an extensive record of murderous atrocities. for more, cnn's jomana karadsheh joins me now from istanbul. she's extensively covered the rise and fall of isis in iraq and elsewhere. so, jomana, good to see you. isis-k, an off-chute of isis proper, what more can you tell us about the group? the aims? the capabilities? >> well, michael, as you mention

there, theis is a group that emerged in afghanistan back in 2014-'15 as an affiliate of what was the islamic or the so-called islamic state in iraq and syria. isis now. they're -- they have been considered a major threat by u.s. officials for a few years now. they have been the target of military operations, counterterrorism operations in the country. as you mentioned, their presence there was mainly focused in the eastern regions of afghanistan. but it also has cells in and around kabul and in other areas. when it comes to how many members the group has, there are all sorts of estimates. anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 up to 2,000. but what has been really concerning for u.s. officials in recent days and recent weeks, michael, as we saw the taliban sweep across the country. there were several major prison breaks where hundreds of isis-k

members are believed to have been broken out of these prisons that have also bolstered the -- the group. now, you know, it has been as we mentioned a major threat over the past few years. and we have seen them carrying out devastating attacks in afghanistan in recent years and recent months. they have had the ability, michael, to choose their targets. the capability to carry out devastating attacks on all kinds of governments ftargets, govern military targets, minority groups, and civilians and as we saw in kabul back in may, an attack that was believed to have been carried out by isis-k targeting school girls. more than 80 people were kill understand that attack. a month later, another attack targeting -- um -- a british-american ngo. a demining charity group that

was also have been believed to have been carried out by isis-k. so it has been a group of concern. it has carried out devastating attacks. but if you look at what unfolded on thursday. that attack, michael, it doesn't -- unfortunately, it doesn't take much. while it is a complex, coordinated attack as it's been described by u.s. officials. to create this kind of -- inflict this kind of maximum damage, maximum casualty, maximum horror that we saw on thursday unfortunately when you have that sort of crowd, it doesn't take much to do that. we have to wait and see when it comes to forensics, what u.s. officials will have to say about that and what kind of explosives may have been used. what kind of -- what kind of device was potentially used. but i, also, found interesting, michael, looking at that statement. that claim of responsibility by isis-k. while u.s. officials are saying it was two bombings and small arms fire afterwards which

creates this complex attack. in that statement, they say it was one attacker, one suicide bomber who attacked. so we'll have to wait and see if we hear more details about the attack. what is very concerning? in that statement, michael, they say that the target was not just u.s. forces but who -- they also say the target was translators and what they describe as the collaborators and the spies who worked with the americans. again, really highlighting the kind risks america's allies on the ground who are trying to get out of the country face right now. it's not just reprisal attacks from the taliban that they are concerned about. there is also this risk of attacks targeting them by isis-k. >> yeah. and so many of those people just will not get out because this evacuation was started so late. jomana karadsheh in is tanbul. thanks so much. we are going to take a quick break here on the poem program.

when we come back, more on the deadly attack in kabul. we will examine how a suicide bomber managed to get inside a secure area. you're watching "cnn newsroom." we'll be right back. #

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afghans were killed. more than 150 others wounded. at least 13 u.s. service members also died in the attack. an isis affiliate has claimed responsibility for the carnage and the pentagon is warning another attack could happen. >> we have reached out to the taliban. we've told them you -- you need to continue to push out the security perimeter. we've identified some roads that we would like for them to close. they have identified that they will be willing to close those roads because we assessed the threat of a vehicle-born threat is high right now. so we want to reduce the possibility of one of those vehicles getting close. and so, we are actually moving very aggressively to do that. >> now, despite the dangerous situation at the airport, thousands of people are still gathering there. hoping to escape. knowing people died in the immediate vicinity. our anna coren has covered the conflict in afghanistan, and is tracking developments from hong kong.

i mean, i -- i know i've been getting frantic messages. i'm sure you have, too. what -- what are you hearing about those who have not gotten out and whose chances of doing so have likely diminished by -- because of what's happened? >> yeah, michael. inundated i think is -- is the word. people are contacting us, contacting me, contacting you. um, desperate for any, you know, hope because as far as they are concerned hope is now lost. you know, as a company, we have been very successful in getting our people out. cnn staff, local producers, and -- and that has been critical. word then spreads that -- that you are able to -- to, you know, help facilitate these sort of operations. but as we know, that -- that window has now completely closed. and people are -- are just turning up at the airport. you know, desperate. thinking that if i'm there, if i wait long enough, that they will let me in.

that attack last night, obviously, you know, rattling so many people -- um -- including the people that i have been in touch with. these women were going to -- to head to the airport with their families. they had given up on their company. their company, which i -- i should add is u.s. funded. it is based in washington, d.c. they were telling their people from the 7th of august that they would start evacuating them. not one person has been evacuated. now, they were heading to the airport when those blasts happened. and obviously, turned around. and -- and there is now just a sense of -- of hopelessness, of abandonment -- um -- from these -- these people. these group of people. one woman -- i just want to read you something that she wrote to me a short time ago. she said, freedom has died. happiness has died. hope has died for us in afghanistan. and that is the overwhelming sense that we get.

you know, when -- when will we be rescued? will the taliban allow us to leave? knowing they worked for a u.s. company, will they be taken away? will they face persecution by -- by the taliban? will they be killed? i mean, this obviously, michael, is their greatest fear that they and their families will be killed. >> and -- and still, so many in their predicament. anna, thank you. anna coren there in hong kong. now, a big question, of course, is how did the purported isis suicide bomber get so close to the airport gate? military officials apparently saw possible-red flags because just hours before the blast, u.s. and british officials said they had specific reports that a terrorist attack was in the making. but as tom foreman now explains for us, securing the kabul airport is a very tall order.

>> reporter: what the u.s. military is dealing with here is really a challenge of time and space. how, in a very chaotic environment, do you move forward, complete the withdrawal, getting people out, especially with these violent events upsetting things the way they have at this moment? let's look a little bit closer at this map to see what we are dealing with here. here is the main road that comes up from kabul to the airport. there is a checkpoint by the taliban in here where they are trying to, theoretically, watch people coming up. check them out. but they are hitting this barrier around the airport and they're spreading out. going hundreds of yards in different directions. thousands of people. and this is where these two main attacks have occurred. the abbey gate and a stone oes throw away, the baron hotel. this has been an area, through which many westerners, americans, brits, people from europe have been brought out, including a lot of afghans. it happened by the gate opening, according to the pentagon. very briefly. and then, people coming in being checked and then the gate closing, again. here is the problem. there are thousands of people.

there's virtually no standoff. so when it comes to that moment of people coming through, u.s. troops have to actually check them according to the pentagon. they have to be right next to them. so if someone gets through, the ability for a bomb blast to have tremendous impact is really right there. what do they do going forward from here? well, that's really the challenge. what they have to do is figure out some way to manage that passthrough while they deal with, still, a lot of people. remember, we have about 1,000 u.s. citizens believed to still be in the country who may want to come out. and there are about 5,000 troops who still have to be withdrawn. now, we know the system is set up according to the pentagon to operate under stress, operate under -- under attack. we know it's going to have to if they want to do this successfully based on what we've seen, so far. >> tom foreman reporting there. well, there is more to come on that deadly terror attack in

kabul. what president biden says now about the status of afghan evacuations. we'll be right back. ♪ ayy, ayy, ayy ♪ ♪ yeah, we fancy like applebee's on a date night ♪ ♪ got that bourbon street steak with the oreo shake ♪ ♪ get some whipped cream on the top too ♪ ♪ two straws, one check, girl, i got you ♪ ♪ bougie like natty in the styrofoam ♪ ♪ squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed all the way home ♪ ♪ some alabama-jamma, she my dixieland delight ♪ ♪ ayy, that's how we do, ♪ ♪ how we do, fancy like, oh ♪

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xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today. now, thursday's deadly attack outside kabul's airport has left many people uncertain of when or if they will make it out of afghanistan. but for those who have safely fled the country, what now? thousands of evacuees have already passed through the u.s. air base in ramstein, germany. many heading to new homes in america. but for some, remembering those they left behind is hard to bear. # atee ka with that story. >> the gateway to a new life for thousands of afghan evacuees. this military airplane hangar has essentially become an

international airport terminal and we are standing in what would be the check-in area. and the goal is to get as many evacuees as possible onto those commercial planes to the united states. many are happy to be leaving but also fearful for family left behind. achmed checks in for his flight with his sister and father. >> i have four sister. and two brother. i come here with my one sister. yeah. it's a very hard to feel this, honestly. >> reporter: while the military has handled the evacuation from kabul, it is the state department and homeland security that are responsible for getting evacuees to the u.s. >> the military brings them in, and they stay here for a short period of time. and then, we bring them out so they can go back to the united states. it has been slow moving but now we are getting into a process. flight flights are leaving.

>> reporter: volunteers pack toys, coloring books and snacks into backpacks for the kids before the flight. >> it doesn't even have to be anything fancy or that makes noise and they'll go from -- from wailing to content and happy and smiling the rest of the time. it's unbelievable. >> reporter: on the tarmac, the flight arrives. delta's a-350 flagship plane. for the entire crew, an emotional experience. >> we saw some of the evacuees standing out by the hangar. >> reporter: hope that the normalcy of a commercial flight might provide some measure of comfort after the hasty evacuation. >> we did everything we could to make everyone comfortable and -- and feel protected. and quite frankly, loved. >> reporter: as the plane is readied for boarding, achmed and his family weigh their bags. all they were able to bring.

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canoe. compare hundreds of travel sites for thousands of trips. kayak. search one and done. this plane landed in frankfurt, germany, just hours ago carrying afghan refugees fleeing the chaos at home. german chancellor angela merkel says her government is still in negotiations with the taliban to get more people out of the country. but other nations have ramped up their evacuation efforts, including australia, canada, belgium, the netherlands, poland, denmark, and new

zealand. france says it will join the u.s. in seeing evacuations through to the end. a sentiment echoed by the british prime minister. >> we always knew that this was a moment where, of course, there were going to be particular vulnerabilities to -- to terrorism. to -- to opportunistic terrorist attacks. we condemn them. i think they're despicable. but i'm afraid that they're something that we've had to prepare for. it isn't going to interrupt our -- our progress. we are going to get on with this evacuation. >> the u.s. president, joe biden, says america will continue evacuations, as well. among those stranded in afghanistan, thousands of afghans who worked for the u.s. during its two-decade military campaign. they are hoping to get out with special immigrant visas. the president asked about their status on thursday. >> what do you say to the afghans who helped troops --

um -- who may not be able to get out by august 31st? what -- >> i say we are going to continue to try to get you out. it matters. getting every single person out is -- can't be guaranteed by anybody. >> and joining me now from los angeles is retired u.s. army colonel steve misger. the author of "baghdad underground railroad." he's also been in a prime mover in the effort by veterans to get translators and others out of afghanistan. joins me now from the evacuate our allies operation center. working around the clock to get allies out of the region safely. um -- and -- and i know you have because we've been in touch . you have not stopped. it has been a perilous situation for these siv applicants getting to the airport at all, even before this bombing. what's the landscape now after this attack for those you and

others are still fighting to get out? >> thanks for having me, michael. it's been really rough. it's been a rough 48 hours actually. we were anticipating attacks, and that created challenges getting people safely to the airport. then of course when the attacks went off, we lost a lot of lives today. a lot of afghans lost their lives, marines, and service members lost their lives and were wounded. that pretty much shut down the airport, and then there was no movement. and fortunately for, you know, the one case that you and i were following together, we had warned them of the attack, and they were in a safe house when the bomb went off. >> yeah. i know you're working hard on that as well as many others. what are these applicants telling you they're doing right now? i manage hiding, destroying documents, erasing their previous lives. what are you hearing from them?

>> yeah. we've actually been working on that for the last several days now because as you know, it's super dangerous to navigate whether it's kabul or even the outlying provinces. and so one of our partners, main partner in the coalition is human rights first, and they developed a digital hygiene kit where if the taliban catch you, they're going to check that facebook account. they're going to check your google search. so we teach everybody how to sanitize your digital presence so you can't get affiliated with westerners. >> it's heartbreaking stuff. i mean -- try to put into words how veterans are feeling about the whole evacuation plan, how it's been executed or, more accurately, not well executed. what are veterans who know these afghans who are not getting out telling you about how they're feeling as they watch this

unfold? >> it's been gut-wrenching. it's really been tough, and we -- you know, we do four synchronization meetings a day, and every day i'm seeing people break down. and it's not just veterans. it's -- you know, the veteran community has partnered with humanitarians in this space, and we've been working around the clock as you noted. and it's been -- you know, we get those small wins where we might get a family away from a bomb site and they survive, but they're still not out. they're still in harm's way, and we won't forget. we'll keep working to help them get to safety. you know, but it's a tough space. >> given what could have happened if the evacuations had been started earlier, how do you personally feel about what's been happening the last couple of weeks? i hope you don't mind me sharing something you wrote today to me in an email. you said, this has been worse than my time in combat.

>> yeah. well, part of that is me. it's -- you know, i would prefer to be in kabul right now, and i'm in l.a. but we all played a position that we're on on the team, and it has been difficult. it's soul-crushing in many ways because we're attempting -- the veteran community is attempting to live up to its ethos of leave no one behind, and we'll continue doing that. we're not going to stop. we're not going to forget our partners. many have made it out of harm's way, and that's good, but they're not even to the u.s. yet. so we're tracking them, and we're helping them get to safety. but we won't forget. >> i know you won't give up. but i mean is it at the back of your mind and deep in your gut that there are going to be a lot who are left behind and facing death? >> yeah. i mean a lot of people haven't made it out, and we've

transitioned. you know, august 31st is the negotiated date, but it's really immaterial for our efforts. we are in a new phase, and that phase is very much protecting those who have not made it out in ways that allow them to stay safe, and we'll wait to see what the new normal looks like and see what opportunities avail themselves. >> i embedded with your unit in iraq and served alongside you and your -- worked alongside you and your unit in iraq and saw what a commander you are, and i know that you are very concerned about iraqi translators and others too. could you back in those days -- i can't remember what year we were there together. could you imagine you'd be doing this right now? >> yeah. well, that was 2007, michael. we were a little bit younger than we are now, but no. if you asked me a month ago -- if you told me what i was doing now, trying to synchronize the

activities of dozens of nonprofits and veteran operations that were out there chartering flights and flying people out to romania, i would have thought you were talking about a fiction novel. it's just -- it's really been incredible. >> you are doing amazing work. those you're working with are doing amazing work. i know "quit" is not in your vocabulary, and you'll keep fighting. always a pleasure, my friend. >> thanks, michael. >> you can find out how you can help afghan refugees if you are a veteran troubled by events in afghanistan as well. you can go to cnn.com/impact for resources that can help. thanks for spending part of your day with me. i'm michael holmes. our coverage of the terror attack at kabul international airport continues after the break.

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hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. appreciate your company. coming up this hour -- >> we will hunt you down and make you pay. >> the u.s. president's vow to avenge american military deaths, but with the u.s. exit just days away, going after a terror group presents a challenge. the attack could complicate the already chaotic evacuations, but the pentagon says that mission is still on track. and there's already political outcry from republicans. some even calling for president biden's resignation.