TALIBAN soldiers have seized control of most of Afghanistan, but ISIS-K, a group considered more extreme, has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks Thursday in the Kabul airport area (Shutterstock).

U.S. military forces are continuing to work to evacuate Americans, other Westerners and Afghan allies from Kabul a day after terrorist attacks killed 169 Afghans and 13 members of American military services.

According to the Associated Press, security has been tightened in the area of the airport as the calendar approaches the planned Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline of U.S forces from Afghanistan.

The attacks – a suicide bomber and an unknown number of gunmen – came not from the Taliban, who have seized control of the nation as Americans and NATO allies leave – but from ISIS-K, which stands for Islamic State Khorasan, which is considered to be more extreme than – and an enemy of – the Taliban.

White House Press Secretary Jeni Psaki warned that day before the evacuation deadline “will be our most dangerous period to date.”

Despite the mayhem, crowds still gathered outside the airport hoping to arrange an exit. According to The New York Times, President Joe Biden is seeking to use diplomatic pressure to extend the evacuation process, so that all Americans who want to leave can be airlifted to safety, along with as many Afghans who had worked with the U.S. as possible.

Parole is approved for RFK’s assassin

SIRHAN SIRHAN in 1969 (Cal. Dept. of Corrections/Wikipedia).

The convicted assassin of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, Sirhan Sirhan, was recommended for parole Friday, according to CNN.

Sirhan, 77, has served 53 years in a California prison. The recommendation from the parole board is not the final word, however. The governor can still overturn that ruling.

Kennedy’s death came on June 6, after he had won the California Democratic presidential primary over Sen. Eugene McCarthy. Sirhan reportedly shot Kennedy because he feared that if he won the White House, he would strongly favor Isreal in its showdowns with the Arab world.

Sirhan was convicted of first degree murder and assault with intent to commit murder. Since then, he has asked for forgiveness and two of Kennedy’s sons have endorsed his request for parole, in this his 16th effort.

“Bobby” Kennedy came to Garden Grove shortly before the incident, rode in the Strawberry Festival parade and spoke to a full house at the Bolsa Grande High School stadium.

Hurricane Ida takes aim at the Gulf Coast

SATELLITE IMAGE of Hurricane Ida (U.S. Naval Observatory/Wikipedia).

The tropical storm Ida, upgraded to a hurricane, is approaching states along the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall on Sunday evening.

According to USA Today, the hurricane could lash the area with winds as strong as 140 miles an hour. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for communities in the New Orleans area that are outside the levee system.

Nearby cities are under voluntary evacuation orders.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded most of “The Big Easy” with water levels that reached as high as 20 feet.