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U.S. Military Conducts Airstrike against ISIS-K Planner; Biden Warns Another Terror Attack in Kabul "Likely"; Hurricane Ida Heads into Gulf of Mexico, Takes Aim at New Orleans; U.S. Evacuation from Afghanistan Now in Final Phase; Italy Reimposes Indoor and Outdoor Mask Mandates in Sicily; Florida Judge Rules against Governor's Mask Mandate Ban; ISIS-K Claims Responsibility for Deadly Suicide Bombing; Several Groups Vying for Power in Afghanistan. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 28, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): President Biden, vowing revenge for the Kabul airport bombing and in the last few hours, the U.S. military began doing just that.
How COVID originated, the report from the U.S. intelligence community, that China is calling fabricated.
Plus, another weekend, another Atlantic hurricane. After roaring over Cuba, Ida, now setting her sights on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
I'm Robyn Curnow, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM, thank you for joining me.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: The U.S. is making moves against ISIS-K. It begins with what the White House calls, the most dangerous period of its mission in Afghanistan.
The U.S. military, saying it, struck and killed a member of the terror group in the eastern province. ISIS-K, believed to be behind the Kabul airport attack, killing at least 170 Afghans, 13 American troops and 2 British citizens.
Meanwhile, new terror threats are complicating these final days of evacuation. The U.S. embassy warning all Americans waiting outside the gates, should leave immediately. The White House, says another attack, in Kabul, is likely.
Afghan and foreign forces inside of the airport perimeter, have been trying new tactics to disperse the crowds that continue to gather.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CURNOW (voice-over): Flash bangs there, repeatedly used on Friday but doing little, it seems, to deter Afghans from seeking to flee.
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CURNOW: There is a team of reporters covering every angle. Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong. Senior White House reporter, Jasmine Wright is in Washington.
Ivan, I want to start with you. You've obviously covered Afghanistan extensively for years, decades in fact.
What do you make of this latest warning that this is the most dangerous period yet for the U.S., on the ground.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think Thursday's deadly turn of events, the suicide bombing there, that claimed the lives of more than 100 Afghans and 13 American service members, is proof of how vulnerable the civilian population is there, as well as the Western military presence.
As long as Western planes are taking off from there, they're a potential target for groups like ISIS-K or whoever else wishes to harm them. So that is part of why the warnings are being issued.
And also, the fact that one of the strategies and the tactics that militant groups have used with years for deadly effect in Afghanistan, is to hide their suicide bombers amid large groups of civilians.
That has also been borne out by the events of the last 48 hours. Part, of the reason why the U.S. military, and other militaries have been so desperate to keep the crowds away from the gates, where the suicide bombers can just infiltrate.
It also helps explain some of the thinking behind the under cover of darkness, surprise withdrawal, that the U.S. military made, months ago, from Bagram airbase in the north of Kabul, was to reduce the vulnerability, to precisely these types of attacks -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Thank you so much for that update, there Ivan Watson, in Hong Kong, thank you.
Let's go now to White House reporter, Jasmine Wright.
Just give us a sense of what the U.S. President is telling folks on the ground, particularly in regards to this latest strike against ISIS-K.
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is no coincidence that this strike came so quickly after President Biden first said he would retaliate, just 36 hours. What we don't know the impact on what the strike will have on the ground or politically, we do know, really, that there are, currently, some details missing in terms of how we assess the successfulness of this strike, including, whether or not the person targeted and killed, was actually directly responsible for that attack that happened yesterday, killing 13 service members. One thing is clear, which is that this strike is deemed successful,
any additional strikes that are to come, as the U.S. looks to really disrupt any of that acute but very real threat, they say, that ISIS-K has on the ground, it will be used as a model, by the Biden administration, really, as evidence that they are carrying out these over the horizon attacks, keeping, really, their thumb on the pulse, as they look to disrupt any threats coming out of Afghanistan, after August 31st of the withdrawal.
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WRIGHT: But what is President Biden saying to folks on the ground?
He is making clear that the White House, in the Biden administration is, actively, pursuing any threats as they come close to the August 31st deadline. As you said, the U.S. warned President Biden and Vice President Harris today in that national security meeting that this would be the most dangerous period, of the mission, that drawdown, saying that the other attacks, in Kabul are likely.
And, as they enter this retrograde phase, where they are not only still trying to evacuate Americans and other vulnerable Afghans but also trying to draw down their forces today the Pentagon spokesperson said, there's about 5,000 still there.
So as they look to draw down their forces and decrease the amount of equipment, it really makes them vulnerable. The question is, whether or not the strike, on the ground, makes things more unstable, really, putting the administration into a kind of precarious situation, as they are just 4 days out from the drawdown timeline -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Jasmine Wright there live from Washington.
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CURNOW: With us now, CNN military analyst and retired Air Force colonel, Cedric Leighton.
Cedric, hi, good to see you. I do want to get to your take on this airstrike and this drone strike.
What do you make of it and the targeting?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Robyn, it is good to be with you as well.
This drone strike was a very quick and rapid response to the attack on the American service members at the Abbey Gate there at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. And I think the rapidity of the response is something that everyone in the region, would be noting. Not just ISIS-K, the actual target of the drone strike but also, the Taliban and all regional players, the Haqqani Network, Pakistan and Iran.
All those players will be looking at how quickly we've done this. In a way, Robyn, it is also a dry run for the idea of the rising capabilities President Biden has spoken about. It is, from a technical standpoint, a very interesting way to conduct business. In essence, it is a proof of concept for this over-the-horizon capability.
CURNOW: So the over-the-horizon capability, via drone, with essentially no boots on the ground, no Americans even in the airspace and coming at a very specific target, will that be a deterrent?
Particularly because we have this warning coming from the White House and the U.S. military saying, that the Kabul airport is again a scene of a potential terror threat.
Would that drone strike be some sort of deterrent, as well as a wider message?
LEIGHTON: Certainly, it is designed to be that kind of deterrent; whether or not it is seen that way by ISIS or by anybody else who is trying to mount terror attacks against the U.S. and allied military forces in Kabul, that, of course, remaining to be seen.
I think, at least initially, it will serve to be somewhat of a deterrent factor. If it hadn't been done and it hadn't been done so quickly, then it would have been much less. And there would have been much greater risk and it would've been a much more difficult problem at this point.
CURNOW: From an operational perspective, we spoke about this last weekend, it was chaotic even just a week ago and even more so against a very hard deadline. Folks are warning this mission is entering its most dangerous period yet.
What are you watching for in the next few days?
What needs to be done on the ground to ensure the safety of folks?
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CURNOW: If that's possible?
LEIGHTON: Exactly, safety is number one and what you are looking at here is what the military calls force protection. And force protection efforts need to ramp up, whenever there's a situation like this.
So when there has been an attack, of course, they are going to institute measures to protect the soldiers, the sailors and the Marines on the ground there to an even greater extent than they've done before. That is number one.
Number 2, they are going to look at the intelligence picture, they're going to see where and how, the intelligence is coming from. How good it is, how reliable. And it seems to be pretty good so far. But also, they're looking for other sources of intelligence, to either corroborate or refute what they are seeing from their original sources.
[02:10:00] CURNOW: There is a lot of criticism and vehement criticism, focused on the U.S. president and this decision. Not necessarily that decision to pull, out but the way it has happened over the past few weeks, from allies, from non-allies and folks on the ground here in the U.S., from the parents of the Marines who died in the last day or so.
However, you've been sitting on set with Phil Mudd, one of our contributors as well and he and many other veterans have said, listen, there is no other way the U.S. could've pulled out of Afghanistan, that this had to be messy and it had to be done this way.
Do you agree with that?
LEIGHTON: I agree, partly and I think the chaos could've been minimized a bit. Afghanistan, by its very nature, unfortunately, is a very chaotic place. And, anytime that you pull out of a country like, that there is going to be some degree of chaos.
But there are certain things that, I think, could've been done better, especially when it comes to where it relates to the interpreters, the Afghan interpreters, that worked for the U.S. military and all of the other Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. and the allied nations.
They should have been taking care of in a better way. They still need to be taken care of. So I think there was a planning issue there. And there were still some planning issues when it comes to the way the airlift was handled, initially.
Now of course, it is moving into a phase, where the operation is, in essence, self-sustaining and it has the volume of passengers that it has transported, which is of course, tremendous. And, that is a testament to the airmen doing a phenomenal job with that, those who have done that.
But in the broad scheme of things, I think that a chaotic environment requires a greater degree of effort to work in and, the planning should have included many factors, that should have been included but weren't. That was one of the things that, I think, is maybe the biggest criticism I have of the operation so far.
CURNOW: Cedric Leighton, thank you so much, a very eloquent criticism there on many issues that are going to get a lot of passing over in the years to come, in terms of how the U.S. handled this operation strategically. Great to see you, thank you, sir.
LEIGHTON: Thank you, Robyn, always a pleasure to be with you.
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CURNOW: We are joined now Nabih Bulos, the Middle East bureau chief for the "Los Angeles Times." He's on the phone from Kabul.
Nabih, hi, good to speak to you. I know you've been to some funerals of the people who were killed in that terror bombing. What did you see?
What was it like?
NABIH BULOS, "L.A. TIMES": Well, this was yesterday. We went over to an area that is outside of Kabul. And, over there, there were quite a few funerals. Just all of the victims from the blast.
It was heartbreaking. You talk about people who were about to leave or were trying to leave and they just felt like they had to escape. And, even then, they were caught in this wave of violence.
To be clear, the area there was so full of people and the bomb was so devastating. You had people pulling out family members from the canal, et cetera. It was really horrific and really very sad.
Yesterday, we shared with one family -- I won't say the last name -- but the first name of the person, (INAUDIBLE), who had died. (INAUDIBLE) was just completely dazed, completely disoriented from the blast at that point.
But he was still determined to leave. He was desperate to find some way to get out and even more so after his brother's death.
CURNOW: In many ways, many Afghan not only mourning for their lost family members and friends but also, for their country.
BULOS: Well, of course. I mean the fact that the Afghanistan they've known over the last 20 years, of course, is mostly gone. It is unclear to say what they can salvage from that and, of course, it depends on a lot of factors.
But you are right. I think we are seeing a slow failure of what has been built over the last 20 years.
CURNOW: What is it like it at the ground at the moment, with this hard deadline, this hard out for the U.S. military and also, because there are these warnings of more possible attacks?
BULOS: It is worth noting, the city has been divided into 2 parts, if you want. The areas around the airport that are quite chaotic with people there just waiting and trying to get in.
And, of course, since the blast, there is been a wider perimeter, around the airport, so it's quite a bit harder to get close at this point.
And other than that airport environment, Kabul, it is continuing quite normally. Traffic is back to its horrific situation in Kabul, as it's always been terrible here. Now it's all back to that. People are waiting in front of banks, which are still closed because there's not enough dollars (ph) in the country right now.
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BULOS: But you can still see people lining up, trying to get money. And, the markets are full, et cetera so life is quite normal, outside of the airport environment.
CURNOW: What are people telling you, particularly women?
BULOS: Women are afraid. A woman I was speaking to the other day, she was waiting at the bank and she didn't want to speak too freely in front of the Taliban guards, who were close by.
But she was saying, she didn't know what to do. This was someone who had worked as a cashier. She had a degree in business from her university and she didn't know if she could go back.
Her sister is a teacher, and she too didn't know if she could go back. The fact is, at that point, they've been waiting for 10 days to get money, because of, course the banks were closed. But more importantly, they didn't know if they could get a salary in the future.
It's all very unclear. It's worth noting, the Taliban themselves are just, now, trying to get to grips with what they control. The fact is, they were surprised that they were able to take Kabul so quickly.
They rushed, in and took over the ministries. So right now I'm on the to the mayor's office, to try to meet him and see what they've done. Because, still, it is quite new for them. too.
CURNOW: Do you feel like the Taliban are still, essentially, trying to get their feet?
Because they have to administer the nitty-gritty, daily details, of the bureaucracy here?
BULOS: That's the first part. But it is worth noting the Afghan state is vastly different from what it was 20 years ago. In 20 years there were just journalists (ph) and really hard work by Afghans (ph) it's worth noting.
And all of that has made it a very, very different state than what it was before. Granted, there was corruption. Granted, there was plenty of waste but it is still very different. The Taliban, now are trying to get to grips with that.
It will take some time, of course and then the government has to be clear. It's not just about having a more inclusive government, so maybe talk about amnesty et cetera. So far, it is all talk. We still have to see what happens.
CURNOW: Nabih Bulos, Thank you very much, reporting live from Kabul. We will talk about some of the challenges, facing the Taliban divisions and of course, tribal divisions as well, in the next hour here on CNN. Thank you so much for bringing the latest on the ground in Afghanistan.
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CURNOW: Right now, hurricane Ida is in the Gulf of Mexico and rushing toward the United States. It's already hit Cuba. Look at some of the damage left behind from one of the 2 places it made landfall. First, it hit the Island of Youth on Friday afternoon and later, it
slammed into the province of Pinar del Rio, where it roared in with 130 kilometers per hour winds.
Now it is heading towards Louisiana and getting stronger, as you can see from this image. We'll have the latest after this break. We are going to talk more about that map and what we can expect in the coming hours and days.
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CURNOW: A hurricane, category one, is now in the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say, it will likely slam into New Orleans, on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Ida, hitting Cuba on Friday, as a category one storm but it is expected to strengthen to a dangerous category 3 or 4, before it hits the U.S. during the weekend.
Now hurricane warnings posted for much of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, including New Orleans. Emergency officials there, already preparing by crews and supplies in the region.
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CURNOW: Coming up on CNN, our coverage from Afghanistan continues as the U.S. retaliates against the group against the terror group behind Thursday's deadly suicide bombing. That story and much more after the break.
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CURNOW: Returning now to Afghanistan and the promise of payback, made good by the United States. The U.S., says it conducted an airstrike against ISIS-K, in an area east of Kabul, killing the intended target.
The terror group, claiming responsibility for Thursday's airport bombing, killing at least 170 people, as well as 13 U.S. service members. It comes as the U.S. embassy, in Kabul, is once again warning its citizens to stay away from the airport and its gates.
On Friday, President Biden, warned by his national security, that another attack is, quote, "likely" meanwhile the U.S. military and its NATO allies, evacuating more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan in the last few weeks.
But those evacuations are winding down, ahead of America's August 31st deadline with thousands of other, still desperate to flee the country. Now before that mission finally comes to an end on Tuesday, Afghans will, likely, keep flocking to the airport. Sam Kiley has more on how things stand right now. Sam?
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Crowd control, Taliban style. A day after 13 American service members, two British citizens, and at least 170 Afghans were killed by a suicide bomber, Afghans are still trying to get to Kabul's airport and to freedom.
Just over the blast walls, the mission continues. Nearly 13,000 people flown out in 24 hours. The wounded American service members have been transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germany.
Now, there is a second mission. Hunting down the ISIS-K terrorists behind Thursday's attack. To accomplish that, America will need continued cooperation from the Taliban, which still controls checkpoints like this one in Kabul filmed today.
They're implementing a harder ring around the airport and crowds have thinned. Abbey Gate, where the attack occurred, remains closed.
ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We still believe there are credible threats. In fact, I'd say specific, credible threats, and we want to make sure we're prepared for those.
KILEY: The Pentagon warning that these could be rockets or vehicle bombs.
In Kabul, families collect the bodies of their loved ones, and survivors come to terms with what has happened. This man says that he was an interpreter for the British and was among the hundreds of Afghans wounded.
"I fell into the stream and thought I was the only one still alive. I saw all the other people were dead. More than 5000 evacuees are waiting for flights at Kabul's airport. And I realize like Italy and Spain have already ended their missions in Afghanistan."
MAJ. GEN. HANK TAYLOR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, U.S. JOINT STAFF REGIONAL OPERATIONS: We have the ability to include evacuees on U.S. military airlift out of Afghanistan, until the very end.
KILEY: The walls of Kabul's airport are now stained with blood, as Afghanistan counts down the final days of America's longest war -- Sam Kiley, CNN, Doha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thursday's attack leaving more than a dozen U.S. troops injured, some being treated at the same airbase in Germany, where thousands of evacuees have been taken. Atika Shubert is there.
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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Both Ramstein airbase and the Landstuhl Medical Centre have a lot of experience in treating wounded soldiers brought in from Afghanistan but also Iraq.
That is really because of a combination of things. For his, the air mobility command, at the airbase here, especially those C-17 planes. But also, the trauma center at the medical centre, this is a level 2 trauma center and that means it has 24-hour, in-hospital coverage, by a trauma surgeon and an anesthesiologist.
So when a soldier is wounded, they can be evacuated out, by those C-17 aircraft and, by the way, these are the same planes that we see evacuating people out of Kabul airport. Those photos of people, crammed by the, hundreds into those cavernous cargo bays, those are C- 17s.
But they can also be transformed into flying operating rooms, with the same integrated electronics or oxygen systems we would find in a hospital. That is what, really, allows doctors to stabilize even the most critical patients, all the way until they're able to get to the trauma center in Landstuhl -- Atika Shubert, CNN, outside of the Ramstein airbase, in Germany.
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CURNOW: Atika Shubert, thank you for that.
Now the United Kingdom evacuation operation in Afghanistan is wrapping up. Defense secretary, Ben Wallace saying, quote, "not every single one will get out, a sad fact."
But British prime minister Boris Johnson said he's vowing to help those eligible for reassembly, settlement and stranded in Afghanistan. Take a listen.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: As we come down to the final hours, of the operation, there will,, sadly, be people who haven't got through and people who might qualify. And what I would say to them is I that we will shift heaven and Earth to help them get out. We will do whatever we can in the second phase.
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CURNOW: Salma Abdelaziz joining me now from London.
What does the prime minister mean by that?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the prime minister is, now, expressing deep regret for those who have been left behind. That's because the evacuation center at the main base for U.K. evacuations is now closed. The last about 1000 people were evacuated Friday.
There are still British soldiers on the ground. The defence secretary saying he cannot provide a timeline for security reasons on when those last soldiers will leave. But it appears they will be leaving before the U.S. deadline of August 31st.
They are not alone. France as well. Wrapping up its evacuations yesterday; Germany saying all troops are now out.
Going back to what prime minister Boris Johnson was saying there, he is referring to go for a resettlement scheme, that is how the prime minister and his government are showing their dedication to the Afghan people.
They announced a resettlement scheme a few days ago that could see thousands of Afghans resettled here in the U.K. over the course of years
You can imagine, of course, the process that is involved in trying to get all of these individuals, resettled. And apparently whoever is left behind, they have to process that paperwork. As well, reports there is paperwork that showed who used to be working for the U.K., for allies of the United States on the ground.
And that was left on the ground, in the embassy, the British embassy, reports from Kabul indicating that. A lot of concern about how those left behind will, even, be able to prove and show and get access to that resettlement scheme, if that is the case.
And, of course, concerns now, because the United States has warned that this final phase of the evacuation operation, is the most dangerous. That's why you're seeing European partners, France, U.K., Germany already out. The U.K. saying has some British troops on the ground. They will be pulling out before that August 31st deadline. They also have weapons on the ground. They want to see all of that out.
CURNOW: OK, thanks, Salma Abdelaziz live in London.
Reset was the operative word, as Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett headed to the White House on Friday. The White House was concerned its relationship with Israel would have soured if Bennett's opponent, Benjamin Netanyahu, had stayed in power.
But as Hadas Gold reports, the two administrations are hoping for a fresh start.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After their scheduled meeting was postponed because of the attack in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden and the Israeli prime minister, Naftali, Bennett met for the first time on Friday, at the White House.
The 2, trying to reset the tone between the 2 countries, after 12 years, of former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and to really open a clear line of communication, between the 2 leaders.
The prime minister, telling reporters after the meeting, that he felt that it went well. They received a warm welcome and a clear show of support, despite what is a very stressful time for this White House.
One of the prime ministers' main goals of this meeting, trying to push President Biden, off of a return, to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Presenting the president with what they're calling a new strategy on Iran, one that addresses not only their nuclear ambitions but also Iranian aggression.
Their activities in places, like Syria, Lebanon and the incidents at sea such as the attack on the Mercer Street cargo ship. Both Israel and the United States, have both attributed to Iran.
Now while President Biden didn't immediately drop on the idea of returning to the Iranian nuclear deal, he did do something new. He did say that if diplomacy fails, when it comes to Iran, they will consider other options.
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BIDEN: But if diplomacy fails, we are ready to turn to other options. We'll support Israel and developing deeper ties, as well, with the Arab and Muslim neighbors and globally. That's a trend, that I think, should encourage, not discourage and we'll do all we can to be (INAUDIBLE).
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GOLD: One issue that did not appear to be a major focus of this meeting, was relations with the Palestinians. Although, it was brought up. This really is a reflection of the political reality that the prime minister faces, back in Israel.
He leads a fragile and diverse coalition, of political parties, that really, run the spectrum when it comes to views on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The Israeli and American officials, both recognizing that under this current government, they will not have any sort of major moves, when it comes to peace talks or any sort of discussion around a Tuesday solution.
President Biden, only saying that they will work toward peace and prosperity, for both Israelis and Palestinians -- Hadas Gold, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Hadas, thank you for that.
Coming up on CNN, the U.S. releases key findings of its report on the origins of COVID-19. We'll see what it reveals and what China has to say.
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CURNOW: Let's take a look at some of the global coronavirus headlines. Vaccination efforts have given authorities some level of control but the Delta variant continues to drive people to hospitals around the world.
The Italian government is reimposing masks both in indoor and outdoor settings. China is reporting an achievement in its vaccination drive. The national health commission says more than 2 billion doses have been administered in China.
A global study reveals COVID patients are likely to infect between one and five household members. The "Journal of the American Medical Association" says that means the household remains an important site of transmission.
But there is also some good news in this report. Recent data indicates that one dose of a vaccine may reduce the household transmission by up to 50 percent.
And Joe Biden says that the administration is considering whether to shorten the time before most Americans can get booster shots. Right now it is 8 months. But that might change. The number of Americans vaccinated is at 52 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. White House officials says it is time to speed that up.
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JEFFREY ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: If you're an American who is not yet vaccinated or if you're an employer who has yet to adopt vaccination requirements, we have a very simple message: get off the sidelines, step up and do your part.
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CURNOW: Even as vaccinations increase, cases and hospitalizations are certainly skyrocketing. Florida has more cases in the past week than in any other 7-day period since the pandemic began. And the governor is doing all he can to fight mask mandates in schools. But as CNN's Nick Watt explains, parents are pushing back.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): And these school districts are saying no.
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NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A slap to the often un-masked face of Governor Ron DeSantis. A Florida judge just ruled his office cannot outlaw school mask mandates.
JUDGE JOHN COOPER, SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT, LEON COUNTY: They simply do not have that authority.
WATT: Many districts were defying the ban, enforcing mask mandates as, nationwide, a record number of children are in the hospital with COVID-19.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: occurring now in the context of not following these layered prevention strategies.
WATT: Like masks.
This week, Missouri's attorney general sued a school district over its mask requirement. The lawsuit states, the cure should not be worse than the disease. It's not. One thousand two hundred ninety-two people were reported killed by COVID-19 yesterday. No one reported killed by a mask.
In San Antonio, Texas, the school district wants a mask mandate. The governor does not. That state's supreme court just backed him.
Just outside Austin at a school board meeting this week, this happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At work, they make me wear this jacket. I hate it.
WATT: A parent got nearly naked to make a pro-mask mandate point. Here go his pants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's simple protocol, people. We follow certain rules for a very good reason.
WATT: Pants for decency. Masks for safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We appreciate that.
WATT (on camera): In Florida, governor Ron DeSantis calling the judge's ruling incoherent, saying that he will appeal immediately.
Meantime, more than 16,000 Floridians are in the hospital, fighting COVID-19. That is near an all-time record high.
Over in Alabama, they are deploying freezer trucks to morgues for the first time in the pandemic.
In Texas, they are deploying an extra 2.5 thousand staff to hospitals and nursing homes.
But there is a ray of sunshine and hope here in California where officials tell us that after a Delta driven surge, they are hopeful the cases are now plateauing -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
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CURNOW: And a long awaited report from the U.S. intelligence community is shedding little light on the origins of the COVID virus. Alex Marquardt has more on the unclassified findings that were just released. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. intelligence community, saying that it has not come to a conclusion about the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
On Friday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a brief summary of the key findings of a classified report that was ordered back in May by President Biden.
The intelligence community had 90 days to pore over all the intelligence they could find, as well as work with outside experts and foreign partners to try to answer the vital question of where the virus originated.
But they came to no conclusion, instead saying only that they all agreed that there are two possibilities: that the virus leaked from the lab in Wuhan, China, or that it naturally jumped from an animal to a human in the wild.
Four U.S. agencies supporting the hypothesis, with a low level of confidence, that it was naturally occurring in the wild; while one intelligence agency had a moderate level of confidence that it leaked from the lab.
Other agencies felt they didn't have enough information. What we got on Friday from the intelligence community was barely two pages of an unclassified summary of those key findings of the classified report.
One thing they did assess was that the virus was not a Chinese bioweapon and that most of the U.S. intelligence agencies agree that the virus had not been genetically modified.
But, they said, without more cooperation from China and without more information from Beijing, the intelligence community says it won't be able to provide a more definitive explanation -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
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CURNOW: And we should note that China has dismissed the report as fabricated, fabricated by the intelligence community and not scientifically credible. The Chinese embassy in Washington said that it is trying to stigmatize China by accusing it of not being transparent about the origins of the disease.
Coming up on CNN, how a Taliban rival could pose a serious threat to the evacuations in Afghanistan. What you need to know about ISIS-K. That is next.
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CURNOW: ISIS-K was quick to claim responsibility for Thursday's deadly bombing at the Kabul airport. The U.S. warns more attacks could come in the coming days.
But what exactly is this group and what is its relationship with the Taliban?
Brian Todd has a closer look. We must warn you that some of the images you are about to see are graphic.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carnage and slaughter in Kabul, the claim of responsibility coming from ISIS-K, a group claiming to be branch of the main Isis network which swept through Syria and Iraq in 2014, a terror force with the means and motive to launch attacks like this.
DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, CEO, VALENS GLOBAL: ISIS-K is known for attacks that are able to slaughter a large number of civilians. This includes suicide bombings. They have had for some time an attack network that operates within Kabul.
TODD: Analysts say ISIS-K has had no qualms about murdering innocents in their pursuit of a caliphate in Afghanistan. In May of this year, they attacked a school for girls in Kabul, killing at least 85 people, according to Afghan officials most of them girls.
In June an ISIS-K attack on a British American de-mining charity killed at least 10 people. But even then, they weren't beginners.
ROSS: Back in November, an hour's long assault at Kabul University that killed 22, a suicide bombing at an education center in October that killed 24. And a gun attack on a hospital maternity ward back in May of 2020 that also resulted in 24 fatalities. All of that shows a capable militant network.
TODD: But there are other terror networks in Afghanistan as well, experts say, extremist movements allied with Al Qaeda and the Taliban and other cells which pose a threat inside Afghanistan and beyond.
TIM LISTER, CNN PRODUCER: One, for example, is a Uyghur extremist group that has been active in Syria, a lot of people have moved back to eastern Afghanistan.
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LISTER: And that little part of Afghanistan up in the northeastern corner shares a border with China. And the Chinese are very concerned.
TODD: But ISIS-K remains a prominent threat, officials say. A top U.S. military official saying there are imminent threats from ISIS, ranging from rocket strikes to vehicle-borne suicide attacks.
And with the latest attacks in Kabul, killing scores of civilians and U.S. service members, experts say ISIS-K ramps up its profile in jihadist circles, which could bring the group more money, weapons and other assets.
ROSS: They hope that this will benefit them directly via other militant factions and other potential recruits and others who can help them within the country.
TODD: Another concern, experts say the Taliban, a sworn enemy of ISIS- K have little control over the areas where ISIS-K and other groups operate and an insufficient security force to go after that. As for the U.S. intelligence footprint in Afghanistan going forward --
LISTER: Even the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said quite clearly our capabilities are not going to be what they were because we don't have the presence on the ground. Everything has to be done remotely.
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CURNOW: That was Brian Todd reporting there.
Well, I am Robyn Curnow, I will have much more news from out of Afghanistan in just a moment. So stay with CNN.
