The chaotic and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan happened two years ago now. Last Saturday marked the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 13 American servicemembers. President Joe Biden responded with a statement, later in the day, though it failed to mention any of them by name. That statement, hardly circulated very wide by the administration, was brought up once more by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre when asked during Wednesday's press briefing: "Does President Biden plan to commemorate the events and the people who were killed or left behind as that happened?"
In addition to bringing up the statements, and some other thoughts, there wasn't really much else to Jean-Pierre's response. In addition to reading an excerpt from the statement, Jean-Pierre offered that "and the First Lady, certainly the president, and our entire nation will always support those families."
"The Afghanistan withdrawal ended two years ago this week. Does President Biden plan to commemorate the event and the people who were killed and left behind as that happened?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 30, 2023
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "The president had a statement recently" pic.twitter.com/6VTd5ZYHGe
The press secretary went on to commend the president's actions in a way, by repeating old talking points.
"And so, look, the president has said on many occasion that ending our longest war after 20 years was the right thing to do," Jean-Pierre offered. "He refused to send another generation--you’ve heard him say this--of Americans to fight a war that should have ended a long time ago," she added, though with how chaotic the situation is there, it's possible another generation could eventually have to go back.
Jean-Pierre also stumbled her way through trying to argue that America was thus better prepared for other conflicts, claiming they also "continue to put our assure--to put pressure on al-Qaeda and ISIS-K, while also focusing on terrorist threats elsewhere."
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The press secretary's own responses, or lack thereof, would show that the administration has not struck much confidence in that regard. Just the day before, during Tuesday's press briefing, Jean-Pierre was unable to give a satisfactory response about accounting for all of the individuals that an ISIS-sympathizer illegally smuggled into the country.
KJP Gives Unsettling Answer on ISIS Smuggling People Into the Country
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 29, 2023
https://t.co/4YCNd8i2dS
The Biden administration's failure at the southern border is also further relevant, as suspected terrorists have been able to cross the southern border.
When it comes to Afghanistan remaining in the hands of al-Qaeda, the country went back to facing economic decline and a humanitarian crisis. According to experts on the one-year anniversary of the withdrawal posted by Brookings, "Afghanistan faces a collapsed economy, humanitarian crisis, and a Taliban regime essentially unchanged from that of 1996-2001."
The situation for women is particularly dire, as UN experts say the rights of women previously gained have been erased since the Taliban takeover. Afghanistan is regarded as the most repressive country to be a woman, and that such repression may worsen the economic situation there.
While Jean-Pierre may have reminded people about the statement from last Saturday, it has yet to be shared to the White House Twitter account, nor was it ever shared to Jean-Pierre's official account, or the president's official or personal accounts.
Spencer highlighted the lack of attention to that anniversary over the weekend.
The White House released a statement around 5:00pm, but it’s not featured on the WH homepage and Biden didn’t tweet it out. Why doesn’t he prominently honor the sacrifice of the 13 fallen heroes of Kabul? https://t.co/7jIsmNM08l pic.twitter.com/3di6ua0OAM
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) August 27, 2023
The statement was not posted to @JoeBiden’s Twitter feed, which is what I said.
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) August 27, 2023
Why did it take until nearly 5pm for a WH statement to be released at all? And why isn’t it on the WH home page where other statements, such as the one for Ukraine Independence Day, are posted? https://t.co/8ludpzcxTB
The Biden White House homepage has room for:
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) August 27, 2023
-student loans
-Ukraine Independence Day
-extreme weather
But not the statement on the anniversary of the Kabul bombing that killed 13 American service members. pic.twitter.com/j7yZ9NVTN1
Biden had time on Saturday to post about his work to preserve the ability of Americans to kill their unborn offspring — but not to post a tribute to 13 U.S. service members killed in Kabul on this day in 2021 during his withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://t.co/90OFWgInbV
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) August 27, 2023
Biden also released a statement on Wednesday, though that too failed to appear on any of those relevant Twitter accounts. The administration has, however, had the time to post non-stop about drug prices, the anniversary of the March on Washington, and the federal response to Hurricane Idalia.
That Wednesday statement made even less mention of the 13 servicemembers, and instead lumped them in with the other lives lost. The president also spent considerable time trying to spin the withdrawal as a positive, even with the title, which addressed "the Second Anniversary of Ending the Afghanistan War."
As the statement read:
Two years ago, the United States ended nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan— the longest war in American history.
Today, we pause to remember the selfless service of generations of brave women and men over the course of the conflict—who, time and time again, sacrificed their own safety and security for that of their fellow Americans. That includes the 2,461 U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, and 20,744 of their brother-and-sisters-in-arms who were wounded in action. These servicemembers dared all, risked all, and gave all to our nation. We owe them and their families a debt we can never fully repay.
I remain forever grateful to the military members, diplomats, intelligence professionals, and development specialists who not only worked together to advance the United States’ Afghan mission for two decades—but who also conducted our withdrawal with the same resolve and bravery that defined U.S. service in Afghanistan. Together, they helped evacuate approximately 120,000 people in one of the largest airlifts in history. And every day since, they have skillfully used every military, diplomatic, and intelligence resource available to continue to protect our homeland from terrorist threats in Afghanistan and around the world. We have demonstrated that we do not need a permanent troop presence on the ground in harm’s way to take action against terrorists and those who wish to do us harm.
Finally—I am proud that our nation has welcomed more than 117,000 Afghan newcomers. I am thankful for the work of our veterans and fellow Americans who remained relentless advocates for our Afghan allies and I am grateful for the generosity of state and local governments and our resettlement partners who continue to welcome them into their communities. We will also continue to support the Afghan people, and we are proud to be the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
Just as they contributed to our mission in Afghanistan for twenty years, our Afghan allies are now making vast contributions across our nation. And, just as they stood with us, I remain committed to standing with them—including urging Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act so we can provide a pathway to permanent legal status for our Afghan friends and neighbors.
Let us continue to meet our sacred obligation to our servicemembers, veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors—who gave so much over so many years in Afghanistan. Let us continue to do right by our Afghan partners who also served and sacrificed. And, let us continue to honor our fallen warriors and their families by continuing on their work to secure and defend our nation—together.
Polls consistently show that Americans agreed it was time to end the war in Afghanistan. That's not the issue, no matter how much the Biden administration still makes it out to be, years later. The polls also reveal that Biden received low marks for his handling of the withdrawal.
The 13 fallen not mentioned in either of Biden's statements include Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California; Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California; Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska; Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California; Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio; and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
Remembering the 13 Fallen Heroes of Kabulhttps://t.co/Uhx9mI38qW
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) August 26, 2023
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