Sunday shows preview: Bombing in Kabul delivers blow to evacuation effort; US orders strikes on ISIS-K

The suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the United States’s air strike against ISIS-K in the region are expected to dominate this weekend’s Sunday shows circuit. 

The U.S. evacuation efforts of Americans and Afghan partners in the country were plunged further into turmoil Thursday after a bomb went off near the Kabul international airport. The explosion killed 13 U.S. service members and over 170 Afghans.

The terrorist group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack, which proved one of the deadliest on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in over a decade. Following the bombing ISIS-K attackers opened fire on citizens and servicemen.

The attack killed 11 Marines, one Navy hospital man and one Army staff sergeant, the Pentagon confirmed Saturday. Many the service members were early-to-mid 20s, meaning they were children when the war began. 

President Biden vowed later Thursday evening that the U.S. would strike back against the group, stating “We will hunt you down and make you pay.”

Late Friday evening, the Pentagon said that it conducted an air strike against ISIS-K targets. Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, deputy director of the Joint Staff for regional operations, said Saturday that two “high-profile” ISIS targets were killed, and a third was wounded.

In a statement Saturday, Biden said the strike was “not the last.” 

“We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay,” Biden said. 

The Biden administration has vowed to continue evacuation efforts despite the attack as it scrambles to meet its self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline. 

A total of 117,000 people have been evacuated since July, of which 5,400 are American citizens. The State Department said Saturday about 350 Americans are still looking to leave Afghanistan, while another 280 have self-identified as American citizens but have not said whether they intend to leave.

Several members of Biden’s team will make the rounds on Sunday shows this weekend. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken will appear on ABC’s “This Week” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”   

The president has received backlash from both sides of the aisle on the Afghanistan issue. Notably, This week, Reps. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), made an unannounced trip to Kabul to witness the situation on the ground. The two both served in the U.S. military. 

The congressmen will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has been vocal about his opposition to Biden’s decisions on Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the senator told Newsmax that Biden deserved to be impeached. 

Graham will appear on “Face The Nation.” 

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s “Sunday talk shows”

ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Blinken; Fauci; H.R. McMaster, a former national security adviser.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — National security adviser Jake Sullivan; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Sue Gordon, former principal deputy director of national intelligence; Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Fauci; Reps. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah; Roya Rahmani, a former Afghan ambassador to the United States; Yasmeen Hassan, global executive director of Equality Now.

“Fox News Sunday” — Sullivan; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), Committee on Armed Services; Stephen Miller, Founder, America First Legal; Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Leader; Larry Elder, California Gubernatorial Candidate