(USNewsMag.com) – US President Joe Biden released on August 26 a statement on the second anniversary of the terrorist attack that US military personnel suffered in Afghanistan during the withdrawal from the Middle Eastern nation. Thirteen American service members were killed on August 26, 2021, when a terrorist suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest he was wearing at the Kabul airport.
Different reports said the incident was absolute chaos, as this was the hub for many who were trying to evacuate Afghanistan, including not only Americans but also eligible Afghans and allied nationals. Many political analysts and media outlets compared this withdrawal with the fall of Saigon in 1975.
In the statement, the commander-in-chief said that he and First Lady Jill Biden mourned the 13 “brave Americans” and the hundreds of innocent Afghans who were killed in the attack. He also said this was an important day to remember those who were so severely injured that they will carry their wounds’ impact and the horrors they suffered for “the rest of their lives.”
The president has been widely criticized by many US military veterans and many family members of the servicemembers who died that day. They claimed that President Biden’s poor leadership was one of the main reasons behind their tragic deaths.
During an interview with NewsNation, Paula Knauss Selph, who is the mother of Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, said that the Biden administration “failed us. She added that the president’s words will never be enough and claimed that the White House and Congress need to take action.
The media outlet also reported that Christy Shamblin, who is the mother-in-law of Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, said that the Biden administration’s response to the withdrawal was offensive. She said it was a disgrace that the president and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin not only said the withdrawal was a success but also decided to commemorate the day as a “celebration. Both Gee and Knauss were some of the US service members who died in Afghanistan that day.
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