Pentagon wraps up added review of bombing that marred Afghan withdrawal

Military officials are notifying family members of U.S. troops killed in the August 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan about the findings of an additional investigation into the attack that occurred during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, U.S. officials said over the weekend.

The bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul killed 13 U.S. military personnel and at least 170 Afghan civilians from an explosive suicide vest detonated by a member of ISIS-Khorasan Province, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State terror group.

Over the past five months, a team of military investigators conducted more than 50 interviews of Marine Corps and Army troops at the scene of the blast, including 12 service personnel who hadn’t been previously interviewed due to medical evacuation or treatment. 

“The interviews sought to determine whether these service members possessed any new information surrounding the attack, and if so, whether that information would affect the findings of the initial Abbey Gate investigation, completed in November 2021,” U.S. Central Command officials said Saturday.

The investigators sought to determine whether the ISIS-K bomber conducted a test run near Abbey Gate before detonating the explosive best that had been filled with ball bearings. The additional review also sought to determine If U.S. troops at the scene identified the bomber in the crowd before the attack and whether they had an opportunity to open fire, Central Command officials said.

The additional review comes as some lawmakers in Congress have assailed the Biden administration and the Pentagon over the circumstances in Afghanistan that led to the botched withdrawal. Retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs during the Afghan withdrawal, recently testified on Capitol Hill that the State Department’s delay in ordering an evacuation of noncombatants, added to the chaos.

“The supplemental review team has completed its interviews and informed senior departmental leadership of its assessments, conclusions and recommendations,” U.S. Central Command officials said. “Our focus at this time continues to be fulfilling our solemn obligations to the Abbey Gate Gold Star families.”