Former President Donald Trump has criticized the White House for failing to attend a ceremony honoring US troops killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump, who attended the commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery for the 13 troops killed in the 2021 Kabul pullout, described the US withdrawal as “gross incompetence”. He also slammed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their absence at the ceremony.
Eleven Marines, one soldier, and a Navy medic died in the August 26, 2021 bombing at Kabul airport, along with 170 Afghan civilians. Islamic State (IS/ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred amidst the frantic evacuation from the Kabul airport following the collapse of the US-backed Afghan regime and the Taliban takeover ten days prior.
“This is the third anniversary of the BOTCHED Afghanistan withdrawal, the most EMBARRASSING moment in the history of our Country,’‘ Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
He accused Biden and Harris of “gross incompetence” that led to the deaths of 13 troops and hundreds of civilians and made the US “a laughing stock all over the World.”
The drone strike in response to the Abbey Gate massacre killed ten innocent Afghan civilians, most of them children. The actual mastermind of the suicide bombing was killed in April 2023.
No one in the Biden administration nor the US military was held accountable for failures in Afghanistan. Only one officer who dared to publicly criticize the withdrawal operation and demand accountability – US Marine Colonel Stuart Scheller – was court-martialed and kicked out of the service.
While attending the ceremony for those killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal, Trump laid three wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, alongside some of the family members of the fallen.
Neither Biden nor Harris was in attendance at Arlington. The president’s last public appearance was at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week. Harris issued a written statement on the White House website, praising Biden for “the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war.”
“On this solemn day, let us come together as one nation to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice three years ago on behalf of the United States and our cherished freedoms. Our grateful nation mourns and salutes them,” the statement said. “In their memory, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the cause they gave their lives for: to protect and defend the greatest democracy on Earth, the United States of America.”
Biden has been criticized for snubbing fallen soldiers and their families before. He was caught avoiding the arrival of the remains of soldiers at a Delaware air force base in August 2021.