President Joe Biden used the second anniversary of his administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan to tout its success, but he failed to specifically mention or even reference the 13 service members killed by a suicide bomber during the chaotic operation.
The bombing at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021 killed 11 U.S. Marines, one Navy corpsman and an Army soldier, as well as 170 Afghans.
The Biden administration received criticism for conducting the withdrawal during the height of fighting season for the Taliban, pulling U.S. troops before civilians could evacuate and closing the nation’s best airfield in the country — Bagram — before the final withdrawal.
Instead, the Pentagon chose (based Biden’s troop strength cap of 700 soldiers) to base out of Hamid Karzai International Airport, which has one runway and is located in the heart of an urban area.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testified before the U.S. Senate in September 2021 that they had advised Biden to keep 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, but the president declined that request.
In a statement released by the White House, Wednesday night, Biden marked the anniversary of the withdrawal, “Two years ago, the United States ended nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan — the longest war in American history.”
“Today, we pause to remember the selfless service of generations of brave women and men over the course of the conflict — who, time and time again, sacrificed their own safety and security for that of their fellow Americans,” the president continued.
“That includes the 2,461 U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, and 20,744 of their brother-and-sisters-in-arms who were wounded in action.”
Biden then heralded the evacuation effort.
“I remain forever grateful to the military members, diplomats, intelligence professionals, and development specialists who not only worked together to advance the United States’ Afghan mission for two decades — but who also conducted our withdrawal with the same resolve and bravery that defined U.S. service in Afghanistan,” he said.
“Together, they helped evacuate approximately 120,000 people in one of the largest airlifts in history,” the president noted.
Biden also highlighted that more than 117,000 Afghans who had helped the American military effort in their country have been resettled in the U.S.
“And, just as they stood with us, I remain committed to standing with them — including urging Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, so we can provide a pathway to permanent legal status for our Afghan friends and neighbors,” he said.
The president concluded: “Let us continue to do right by our Afghan partners who also served and sacrificed. And, let us continue to honor our fallen warriors and their families by continuing on their work to secure and defend our nation — together.”
Biden was heavily criticized for checking his watch at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware during the dignified transfer ceremony for the 13 slain military members.
Never forget that Biden checked his watch at a funeral for the service members who fell in Afghanistan. https://t.co/eCjgOHl6sT
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 29, 2023
The Daily Caller recently spoke with the families of five U.S. service members killed during the terror attack.
“The Gold Star families called for President Joe Biden to resign and expressed frustration at the president’s lack of accountability for the chaotic withdrawal. They also requested for the 13 service members killed in the Abbey Gate terror bombing to be honored at the White House, and for Biden to finally say their names,” the outlet reported.
“Nobody’s paying for what they did. Nobody is saying ‘yes we messed up’ and ‘I’m sorry,’” said Carol Briseno, the mother of slain 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez.
“Biden never said the 13 names. He didn’t say the names because he knows that he failed. That he actually failed our kids and failed our families and messed up,” she added.
Darin Hoover, the father of Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, also expressed his anger that the president hasn’t “acknowledged our kids.”
“Biden hasn’t said our kids’ names once. Not a single time,” he told the outlet. “These kids need to be celebrated. They need to be thanked … They need to have their names said, have them be remembered.”
The Daily Caller pointed out that the White House did release a statement on the one year anniversary of the attack specifically listing the names of the soldiers killed.
Christy Shamblin, the mother of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, called on Biden to host the 13 families at the White House.
“I would love to meet with President Biden and have him outline the successes because I don’t see them,” Shamblin said.
“I know that there are successes and families that are vetted and the ones who are making lives here, but you know to celebrate a few victories in the middle of a catastrophe is not really rational.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
