The Biden administration quietly released a statement late Wednesday night commemorating the second-year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
The Biden administration concluded its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021, an operation that concluded in 13 American military personnel dying from a terrorist attack in Kabul. President Joe Biden recognized the anniversary with a statement, thanking the military members, diplomats, intelligence professionals and development specialists who helped conduct the withdrawal.
“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,” Biden’s statement reads. “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 service members dared all, risked all, and gave all to our nation. We owe them and their families a debt we can never fully repay.”
The Gold Star families of the 13 service members who were killed in the Abbey Gate terror attack at the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021, have repeatedly criticized Biden’s withdrawal, calling for the president to resign. The families told the Daily Caller they would like for the president to acknowledge the fallen service members and honor them at the White House following the anniversary of the withdrawal. (RELATED: ‘He And He Alone’: Gold Star Mother Says Biden Responsible For Terrorist Attack That Killed 13 Soldiers In Kabul)
Biden’s two-year anniversary statement did not name the 13 service members who were killed.
GOLD STAR FATHER: “Biden has run…for 50 years as the family man…
We’ve seen what’s going on in your family – Even worse – how you’ve been treating us as Gold Star Families. There couldn’t be anything more disgusting and cowardly…You are a DISGRACE to this nation.” pic.twitter.com/ScoYVMayrz
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 30, 2023
The Biden administration published its review of the withdrawal in April, casting blame on former President Donald Trump for the botched operation. The audit criticized Trump for ordering communication with the Taliban, setting a withdrawal date and failing to leave the Biden administration a complete plan on how the withdrawal should be carried out.
White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said in April that Biden was “proud” of how the withdrawal was conducted.
“Together, [military members, diplomats, intelligence professionals and development specialists] helped evacuate approximately 120,000 people in one of the largest airlifts in history,” Biden’s statement published Wednesday reads. “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.”