Earlier today (August 26,2021) terrorists reportedly from the ISIS-K group launched two suicide bomber attacks against Afghan citizens and American military personnel at and near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Photo from Voice of America[/caption]Thirteen American Heroes lost their lives working to evacuate American citizens and Afghans from Afghanistan. At least 15 were injured.
60 innocent Afghans also perished. At least 140 were injured.
Despite this barbarous attack, seven thousand people were still evacuated to safety so far today.
Speaking to the nation following this terrorist attack, President Biden immediately expressed gratitude to the fallen soldiers whom he called "heroes" and sympathy toward their families.
"These American service members who gave their lives, it's an overused word but it's totally appropriate here, were heroes; heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous selfless mission to save the lives of others. They are a part of an airlift and evacuation effort unlike any seen in history with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days."
"Jill and I, our hearts ache like I'm sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who lost loved ones including small children, or have been wounded with this vicious attack and we're outraged as well as heartbroken...We have some sense like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest. There's no way out. My heart aches for you. And I know this, we have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary. It lasts forever."
The President also had a message for the ISIS-K terrorists who launched the attacks, promising retribution for what they did today.
"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people will every measure at my command."
“We will respond with force and precision in our time, in a place we choose in a manner of our choosing. These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans. We will get our Afghan allies out. And our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.”
With regards to the mission, Mr. Biden relayed that their goal of ensuring the safe evacuation of every American and Afghan who worked for the United States during the war will likely go beyond August 31 but in different operational modes than the flying out of thousands from Kabul's International Airport.
He, during a question and answer session with reporters, accepted, unlike his immediate predecessor, responsibility for the recent events unfolding in Afghanistan, saying:
"I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late. Here's the deal, you know ... that the former president made a deal with the Taliban to get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. Imagine where we'd be if I had indicated on May 1, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date. We were going to stay there. I had only one alternative, for thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war."
When asked if he made the right decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, the President said yes and added:
"I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan, a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country. Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging, first to get [Osama] bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, prevent that from happening again. As I've said 100 times, terrorism has metastasized around the world. We have greater threats coming out of other countries, a heck of a lot closer to the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war."
Republicans use the deaths of 13 American Heroes to Score Cheap Political Points.
Many members of the former Party of Lincoln are very vile creatures.
The bodies of the 13 American Heroes had not been identified yet when some of them, including the number three member of the House Republican leadership (Elise Stefanik) and Tennessee fringe Senator Marsha Blackburn, called President Biden unfit for office and said he and his National Security team should either resign or be impeached.
What bull fecal matter?
Where were these Republican calls for resignation or impeachment when 300 Marines were blown up by suicide bombers in Lebanon in the Regan Administration in 1983?
Or in 2001 when George W, Bush did not take the intelligence seriously enough when Al Queda launched the 9/11 attacks killing close to 3.000 Americans.
Or over the last year and a half when Donald Trump cost thousands of lives with his inept response to the Coronavirus. He also set the stage for the American withdrawal from Afghanistan with his deal with the Taliban.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was having none of it when asked at a White House Press Briefing following President Biden's remarks, commenting:
“This is a day where US service members, 12 of them, lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. It’s not a day for politics, and we would expect that any American, elected or not, would stand with us in our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live. And to honoring the memory of service members. And that’s what this day is for.”
Flags will be held at half staff to honor the fallen who gave their lives to save others in Kabul today.
There are still five days left to evacuate the remaining Americans and as many Afghans as possible through Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Let us pray that all goes well and no more American soldiers or Afghan civilians suffer.
No comments:
Post a Comment