Kabul withdrawal honors/ fallen troops Afghanistan/ Kabul Gold Medal ceremony/ Newslooks/ Washington DC/ Congress is posthumously awarding Gold Medals to 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul withdrawal. While bipartisan support honors their sacrifice, political divisions over who is responsible for the chaotic exit continue to intensify.
Congressional Honors for Fallen Troops: Quick Looks
- Ceremony: Congress presents Gold Medals to 13 U.S. troops killed during the Kabul withdrawal.
- Political Backdrop: Ceremony coincides with ongoing debate over responsibility for Afghanistan exit.
- Republican Report: House GOP blames Biden’s administration for the chaotic withdrawal.
- White House Response: John Kirby calls the report partisan and inaccurate.
- Gold Star Families: Some defend Trump, demanding accountability for Kabul decisions.
Congress awards Gold Medals to 13 fallen troops in Kabul
Deep Look
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson hosted a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The ceremony, which honors their sacrifice, comes amid heated political tensions surrounding the Kabul evacuation and the ongoing 2024 presidential campaign.
The attack at Abbey Gate, near Kabul’s airport, claimed the lives of 13 U.S. troops and over 170 Afghans, marking a tragic moment in the U.S. withdrawal. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest honors Congress can bestow, recognizing their bravery in what was a chaotic and dangerous evacuation process. Legislation to honor these fallen soldiers had bipartisan support, with President Joe Biden signing it into law in December 2021.
Top leaders from both parties were present at the ceremony, which took place just hours before the first 2024 presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, highlighting how the Afghanistan withdrawal has become a pivotal issue in the election. Despite the collective effort to honor the 13 troops, political debate over the withdrawal continues to overshadow the event.
On Sunday, House Republicans released a scathing investigation into the withdrawal, blaming Biden’s administration for the disorganized exit and downplaying Trump’s role in signing the deal with the Taliban. Rep. Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led the report, which detailed missteps by the administration during the evacuation. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, praised the report, saying, “We must not allow the Biden-Harris administration to rewrite history,” emphasizing that the families of the fallen and Afghanistan’s abandoned allies deserve accountability.
The Biden administration, however, pushed back on the report. John Kirby, national security spokesman for the White House, criticized the GOP investigation as partisan, stating that it provided little new information and contained inaccuracies. Kirby noted that preparations for the withdrawal had started well in advance and denied claims that the U.S. handed over military equipment to the Taliban. He admitted that while not everything went according to plan, the sudden fall of Kabul was quicker than anticipated, an outcome that caught many off guard.
Despite the blame game, Pentagon reviews have found that the suicide bombing was not preventable, contrary to speculation that troops may have seen the bomber before the attack. The event remains a sore point for both the military and political leadership, with accountability and decision-making during the withdrawal being scrutinized.
The tragedy continues to play a role in Donald Trump’s campaign, as he aligns himself with Gold Star families, some of whom have blamed Biden and defended Trump’s handling of the situation. Last month, Trump’s political team released footage of him attending a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on the third anniversary of the attack, despite cemetery rules prohibiting partisan activities. An altercation with a cemetery employee trying to enforce these rules became a flashpoint, with Gold Star families defending Trump’s actions and urging that the Republican House report be taken seriously.
At a news conference on Monday, outside the Capitol, families of the fallen soldiers demanded accountability for those responsible for the chaotic withdrawal. Paula Knauss Selph, whose son Ryan Knauss died in the bombing, criticized Biden and Harris while praising Trump, stating, “He’s a far better choice than the mess that Biden and Harris have created since Kabul.”
Republicans have sought to link Vice President Kamala Harris to the withdrawal, using it as a campaign issue. Harris acknowledged that she was present when Biden made his decision to proceed with the withdrawal, but both watchdog reviews and the 18-month House investigation found no evidence that Harris played a significant role in shaping the decision. Nevertheless, House Republicans, including Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, argued that Harris, who aspires to become president, should be held accountable for the consequences of the evacuation.
McCaul defended the timing of the GOP report, explaining that resistance from the Biden administration delayed the committee’s investigation. He framed the inquiry as a nonpartisan truth-seeking mission, though he admitted the Biden administration likely fears the findings of this particular investigation more than any others.
Most analyses agree that both Trump and Biden share blame for the disastrous conclusion of America’s longest war. The U.S. government watchdog overseeing the war pointed to Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban, which set the stage for the withdrawal, as the primary factor leading to the collapse of U.S.-allied Afghan forces and the Taliban’s rapid takeover. Biden’s subsequent decision in April 2021 to proceed with Trump’s plan compounded the situation, with both presidents upholding the staged withdrawal of U.S. forces.
In Trump’s case, a significant reduction in U.S. airstrikes against the Taliban, even though they failed to enter meaningful negotiations with the U.S.-backed civilian government, exacerbated the conflict. The end result was a hasty withdrawal marked by the tragic deaths of U.S. service members and Afghan civilians.
As the 2024 election approaches, the debate over Afghanistan’s withdrawal remains central to campaign rhetoric, with each side seeking to shape the narrative around one of the most controversial military decisions in recent U.S. history.
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