Washington, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump has honoured the 13 American service members killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, while sharply criticising former President Joe Biden over the US withdrawal from the country and pledging that the failures he says led to the attack will not be repeated.
Trump proclaimed August 26, 2026, as a day commemorating the fifth anniversary of the attack at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. At 5.36 p.m. on August 26, 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive device among a crowd at Abbey Gate, killing 13 US service members and wounding 45 others. More than 160 civilians were also injured, according to the presidential proclamation.
“As a Nation, it is our sacred duty to honour — with the deepest respect and reverence — the men and women in uniform who gave their lives that day,” Trump said, naming all 13 service members in the proclamation.
Trump used the anniversary to criticise the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, describing it as a poorly executed operation that culminated in a major military disaster. He specifically pointed to the July 2, 2021, withdrawal from Bagram Airfield, arguing that it deprived remaining US forces of strategic advantages as the Taliban advanced.
He also said his administration had apprehended the ISIS-K terrorist responsible for the bombing and brought him to face US justice.
“I will always stand by our service members, support our military families, and I will never allow the failures that led to Abbey Gate to be repeated,” Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately described the Afghanistan withdrawal as a “dark stain” on US history and said the administration remained committed to honouring those killed and providing Americans with answers.
The Abbey Gate bombing occurred during the final days of the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan, when thousands of people had gathered outside Kabul airport following the Taliban’s return to power.
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