United States president Donald Trump has declared August 26 a memorial day to honor the 13 American service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing, calling the attack one of the darkest moments in the nation’s history and denouncing President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as catastrophic.
In a statement, Trump said the Abbey Gate bombing, which also left more than 170 Afghan civilians dead, “broke the heart of the nation” and would be remembered as “the day the gates of hell opened.” He vowed that the sacrifice of the fallen would “live on forever” in the collective memory of Americans and Afghans alike.
Trump reserved his sharpest criticism for President Biden, blaming him for what he termed a “disgraceful and disastrous” exit. He accused the administration of abandoning Bagram Air Base without coordination, enabling rapid Taliban advances and creating the conditions for the Abbey Gate attack. He further condemned Biden’s behavior during the dignified transfer ceremony for the fallen troops, describing it as unbecoming of a commander-in-chief.
“The rushed withdrawal left billions of dollars in advanced military hardware in Taliban hands and will be remembered as the most shameful scene in the history of American foreign policy,” Trump said. He added that the perpetrator of the Abbey Gate bombing has since been captured and brought to the United States to face justice.
The August 26, 2021, suicide attack occurred as thousands of Afghans crowded outside Kabul airport in a desperate attempt to flee the country during the US-led evacuation. It marked one of the bloodiest days of the withdrawal, with 13 American troops and scores of Afghans losing their lives.
By designating August 26 as a day of remembrance, Trump is seeking to enshrine the Kabul tragedy in the American consciousness while keeping the chaotic withdrawal at the center of US political debate. His move underscores an effort to portray the exit from Afghanistan not only as a national calamity but also as a defining failure of the Biden presidency.
