(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Monday that President Joe Biden put U.S. troops in harm’s way on the third anniversary of the deadly Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan.
Biden’s quick withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has been widely criticized in the years since the 2021 attack.
“On August 26, 2021, ISIS-K took advantage of the Biden-Harris administration’s chaotic withdrawal to launch an attack,” Rogers said in a statement. “As a result, 13 U.S. servicemembers were killed by an ISIS-K terrorist. These courageous men and women were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. We must never forget their bravery or their selfless actions.”
The attack took place at Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the 2021 withdrawal. About 170 Afghan civilians were also killed in the attack.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and President Biden praised the 13 Americans who died in the Abbey Gate attack
Austin said it was a somber day.
“We will never forget these 13 brave Americans — 11 Marines, a Soldier, and a Sailor — who lost their lives defending their teammates and helping to save tens of thousands of Afghans seeking freedom and the opportunity for a better life,” he said in a statement. “Another year has passed, but our gratitude will never wane. My thoughts are with our fallen troops and their families on this somber day — and with the families of all those whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice during America’s two decades of war in Afghanistan.”
Biden also praised the troops.
“They embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless. And we owe them and their families a sacred debt we will never be able to fully repay, but will never cease working to fulfill,” the president said in a statement.
The fallen were Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.
