Gold Star families whose family members were killed in the Aug. 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, took aim on Tuesday at what they described as “excuses” from the Biden administration over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan — as Gen. Mark Milley released a statement promising “accountability” and the “truth” about what happened.
Families of those killed in the attack in Kabul spoke at a House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable and continued to express their anger at the decisions by the administration that they believe led to the bombing that killed 13 service members, demanding for more answers about what happened.
Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, wanted to know why warnings from military personnel were ignored in the days leading up to the attack.
“Why were they ignored? Please help us answer those questions so we can make positive change,” she said. “The United States of America will again be called on to evacuate and rescue vulnerable groups of people, please help us make positive changes so we don’t have to watch another parent walk through the hell that we are walking through.”
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The U.S. on Saturday marked the two-year anniversary of the attack outside the Abbey Gate at Kabul Airport during the chaotic military evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. At least 183 people were killed in the attack, including the 13 U.S. service members. The Biden administration took heavy criticism for the chaos that accompanied the withdrawal, which was in turn followed by a takeover of the country by the Taliban. Republicans in particular have continued to demand officials be held accountable for the withdrawal.
Some Gold Star families have also criticized the administration for both the decision-making and what they said was incomplete or incorrect information given to them.
Kelly Barnett, the mother of Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover, said “I don’t want to hear lies, I don’t want to hear excuses from Joe Biden, from the administration.”
“They knew this was going to happen or it was part of their plan. They were too busy shaking hands with the Taliban, cleaning up and making sure we left it clean and tidy for the Taliban to worry about giving our snipers the OK to make it all OK,” she said.
Hoover’s father, Darin Hoover, was scathing in his assessment of administration leadership — including President Biden — and called on top brass to resign.
“Today is the date, two years ago that we received our kids home at Dover. Two years ago today, where we were disrespected with stories of Biden’s son and him looking at his watch. And today, here we sit as their families, begging you two years later, find these answers. Our veterans deserve it,” he said.
As the hearing was about to begin, Milley — the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has received sharp criticism for his role in the withdrawal — released a statement in which he said the U.S. owes Gold Star families “everything.”
“We owe them transparency, we owe them honesty, we owe them accountability. We owe them the truth about what happened to their loved ones,” Milley said in a statement to Fox News.
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Milley addressed some of the claims from Gold Star families about incorrect information in his statement.
“I trust the Army, Navy and Marine Corps did the best they could in briefing the families who had loved ones killed at Abbey Gate. I believe the briefers gave every piece of information that they could. If there was issues with that, we need to take whatever corrective action is necessary,” he said. “And our hearts go out to those families.”
He continued: “This is a personal thing for all of us in uniform. We don’t like what happened in Afghanistan. We don’t like the outcome of Afghanistan. We owe it to the families to take care of them. Their sacrifices were not in vain.”
He then said that for those who served in the mission, “the cost in blood was high, but every single one of us who served in Afghanistan should hold our heads high.
“Each served with skill, dedication and honor. For two decades our nation was not attacked from Afghanistan – that was our mission, and each one can be rightly proud of their service,” he continued.
The statement was read out in the hearing. Herman Lopez, Father of Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, responded to it.
“In his note, Gen. Milley mentions that he apologizes for any lack of information provided during these briefings that we all had in our homes. The issue is not the briefing. The issue is not the lack of information during those briefings. It is the disregard of intelligence. It is the disregard of planning. That’s what you should be apologizing for.” he said.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who is on the committee, said the statement was “too little, too late.”
“General: if you want to help these families, tell your boss to find the courage to face them,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Pentagon also released a statement of its own, expressing “our deepest condolences to the Gold Star Families who lost loved ones during the tragic bombing at Abbey Gate.
“We are forever grateful for their service, sacrifice, and committed efforts during the evacuation operations. We also commend the historic and monumental efforts of all our service men and women who served honorably during the withdrawal period from Afghanistan,” the statement said.
It went on to say that US Central Command conducted a “comprehensive, credible and definitive” investigation into the attack.
“As then CENTCOM commander Gen. McKenzie highlighted, ‘The volume of evidence collected, the testimony of more than 100 people, the analysis of experts, the findings of fact, and the conclusions of the team based upon evidence gives a compelling and truthful examination of the event.’ U.S. military commanders on the ground in Afghanistan made the best decisions and provided their best military advice based off what was known at the time and leaders took appropriate action in response to reported threat streams. From the investigation at the tactical level, the Abbey Gate attack was not preventable without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees, and the leaders on the ground followed the proper measures and procedures.”
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.