WASHINGTON, DC – One year ago today, the whole world watched in shock as Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban, destroying the 20 years of progress we made in the country. I served in Afghanistan in 2008 and lost two close friends, Lt. Jeffrey Ammon and Lt. Jeffrey DePrimo, while deployed in Ghazni. I know all too well the sacrifice American warfighters gave to secure that country over the last two decades. They are heroes, but the Biden administration's withdrawal was an absolute disaster and an outright disgrace. We lost 13 brave service members, stranded hundreds of our citizens, and left billions of dollars in equipment in the hands of terrorists. Our adversaries are still laughing at us, deterrence has been undermined, and America is less safe. How we left was and still is a catastrophic failure that falls entirely on President Biden.
Terrorist group ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing outside the Abbey Gate entrance of HKIA in Kabul, Afghanistan on 26 August 2021, killing around 170 Afghan citizens, and the following 13 U.S. service members:
Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, USMC
Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, USMC
Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31, USMC
Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, USMC
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, USMC
Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, 20, USMC
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, USMC
Cpl. Daegan Page, 23, USMC
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, USMC
Cpl. Humberto “Bert” Sanchez, 22, USMC
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, USMC
Staff Sgt. Ryan Christian Knauss, 23, US Army
Corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, USN
Let us honor and never forget their selfless sacrifice.