U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on August 26 recalled the “horrific terrorist attack” two years ago outside Kabul’s airport that killed 13 Americans and an estimated 170 Afghan citizens.
The attack took place at Abbey Gate, where thousands of people had gathered amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign forces from Afghanistan 11 days after the Taliban seized control in Kabul.
The Afghans -- many fearing retribution from the Taliban for having worked with U.S. and other foreign militaries -- were at the gate desperately hoping to get on a flight out of the country.
“Two years ago, a horrific terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 brave American heroes, as well as approximately 170 Afghan civilians,” Austin said in a statement.
He said the U.S. military "undertook a tremendously difficult task amid hazardous conditions" in the final days of the war in Afghanistan.
"Along with the rest of their teammates, these 13 Service members -- 11 Marines, a Soldier, and a Sailor -- tackled their mission with skill, compassion, and extraordinary courage,” Austin said in the statement.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (file photo)
The United States and its allies just prior to the attack had urged civilians to stay away from the airport because of the threat of a suicide bombing by the extremist group Islamic State (IS).
IS, an enemy of the Taliban as well as the West, claimed responsibility for the attack shortly afterward, saying that one of its suicide bombers from its affiliate, IS-Khorasan, had targeted "translators and collaborators with the American Army."
Many Afghans whose relatives were killed in the attack still feel the pain of losing their loved ones in the bombing. Despite the Taliban-led government's claims that it has eliminated IS from Afghanistan, it continues to claim responsibility for violent acts carried out in Afghanistan.