Biden owes us answers for failures in Afghanistan

One year ago, on August 26, thirteen brave United States service members—11 Marines, one Army soldier, and one member of the Navy—lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Kabul. These men and women were killed while protecting U.S. citizens, assets, and allies from a Taliban siege during President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was one of the single deadliest days in the 20-year history of the war. The horror of that day was followed by words of condolence for their loved ones, posthumously honoring the fallen with the Congressional Gold Medal, and a vow from the president that the ISIS affiliate responsible for the attack would pay.

That promise for revenge seemed to be fulfilled when Biden announced just days later that a drone strike targeted and killed ISIS-K forces responsible for the attack. The president and his team celebrated, calling it a “righteous strike.” But, as it turns out, the president and his team got it wrong. In the months to follow, reporting and eventually-declassified surveillance footage proved that the retaliatory strike killed 10 innocent people—seven of which were just children. 

While the president and his team have acknowledged the grave mistake that was made, members of Congress and the American people have received little to no cooperation from the administration in their effort to get answers about the strike. The lack of accountability betrays a broader unwillingness to answer for any of their failures—the overall chaos of the withdrawal, the Americans left behind, and the lack of a plan for the future. To this day, President Biden continues to blame the previous administration and the Afghan government for the crisis he created.

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To read Senator Scott’s full opinion article, click here.