Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the city has “no specific and credible threats” against it after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the approach of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
The NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to monitor for any threats against the city, and more information on safety preparations would be available as the anniversary approaches, the mayor said during his morning press briefing.
“We’re hyper-aware that the 20th anniversary of that horrible day, 9/11, is coming soon, and NYPD has been preparing intensely and we’re working with all of our partners in the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” de Blasio said. “Most importantly, no specific and credible threats (are) directed at New York City at this moment.”
On Monday, the U.S. ended its 20-year engagement in Afghanistan closing the longest military conflict in the nation’s history.
Before the final soldier left, chaotic scenes emerged showing the evacuation process for Americans and Afghan allies.
Most tragically, on Thursday, 13 members of the U.S. military and at least 169 Afghans died after an attack on the Kabul airport, for which ISIS-K — an Afghan group that affiliated itself with the more well-known ISIS — took responsibility.
De Blasio has maintained since that attack that there are no specific and credible threats against the city.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee during her time in the chamber, has said the same on threats, and said the state is focused on safety ahead of the 9/11 anniversary.
“We are going to be making sure that our security is beefed up in all of our vulnerable locations,” she said during a Thursday appearance on NY1.
Both officials have expressed an openness to accepting refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Estimates put the number of Afghans fleeing the country at 100,000.
On Tuesday, the mayor said the city Office of Emergency Management was working with state and federal officials to set up a building at John F. Kennedy International Airport for processing refugees in case it was needed, but that key decisions on refugees would be left to the federal government.
“We will provide a welcome to those who need our support, and we assume that will be true all over the country,” de Blasio said. “The entire country will work together with the coordination of the federal government to ensure that…many different places participate for the good of all.”
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