Kabul, Afghanistan – A recent Pentagon review regarding the tragic bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport has debunked claims made by service members who believed they could have prevented the attack. The bombing occurred in late August 2021 amidst the chaotic evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans.
Military officials revealed that the bombing was carried out by ISIS-K member Abdul Rahman al-Logari, who was among several prisoners released by the Taliban before the attack. Despite this, officials emphasized that ISIS-K had multiple bombers available, indicating that the attack could have still been executed even without al-Logari’s involvement.
The supplementary review was ordered by U.S. Central Command following testimonies from service members alleging that more could have been done to prevent the bombing. Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a Marine Corps sniper, previously expressed frustration at not being able to intervene before the attack. However, the review found that the suspected suicide bomber had arrived on scene shortly before the bombing, leading service members to hone in on the wrong individual.
One of the key findings of the investigation was the conflation of “spot reports” with more developed intelligence, leading to the misidentification of the bomber. Service members mistook a bald, clean-shaven man with a backpack for the actual threat, based on flawed descriptions provided to them.
Officials conducted over 50 additional interviews as part of the review, gathering perspectives from various current and former service members across different locations and military installations. Despite differing accounts, the review aimed to consolidate these perspectives to provide a comprehensive understanding of the events leading up to the bombing.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Vargas-Andrews acknowledged the review’s findings, including the Taliban’s use of excessive force resulting in civilian deaths during the chaotic evacuation at the airport. The review reinforced the significance of the service members’ actions while providing additional clarity on the events surrounding the tragic bombing.