From The Hill: President Trump on Monday signed a proclamation to mark the fourth anniversary of the bombing at Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members during the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
Trump met in the Oval Office with family members of some of the service members who were killed during the bombing, which the president used throughout the 2024 campaign to attack the Biden administration and accuse then-President Biden of showing a lack of compassion.
“There are some great souls that are looking down on you right now, and they’re very proud of their parents, and brothers, and sisters, and moms and dads especially. That’s what I seem to have dealt with mostly,” Trump said before signing the proclamation.
“And the media, I want to thank you because you’ve been very respectful of this group of people, and they deserve it,” Trump added. “They went through hell for no reason. It should have never happened.”
President @realDonaldTrump meets with the Abbey Gate families and signs a Proclamation to commemorate the sacrifice of the 13 brave souls 🙏🏼🇺🇸
“There are some great souls that are looking down on you right now.” pic.twitter.com/wDi4xo5q0K
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 25, 2025
President Trump’s proclamation reads, in part, as follows:
On one of the darkest days in our Nation’s history, 4 years ago, the gates of hell sprung open when an evil Jihadi terrorist carried out a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan — killing 13 heroes of our United States Armed Forces and shattering the hearts of Americans and our allies. As our Nation remembers this atrocious attack, we honor the memory of every brave warrior who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We join in grief with the families who senselessly lost a loved one, and we renew our solemn pledge to our 13 fallen patriots — we will never forget you; we will never forsake you; and your memory will live on forever.
On July 2, 2021, as an empowered Taliban was in the midst of waging a civil war in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden began a disastrous withdrawal from Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night without alerting Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. As a direct result of the Biden Administration’s reckless political stunt designed to claim victory on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, our men and women in uniform were left without a defensible base of operations, allowing the Taliban to free thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists and criminals held captive at Bagram prison.
At exactly 5:36pm on August 26, 2021, a barbaric ISIS-K terrorist — one of the prisoners set free by the Taliban less than two months earlier — detonated a suicide bomb at a civilian gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the main entry point for an evacuation operation. As a result, 13 brave American service members were killed, 45 were wounded, and more than 160 civilians were injured, resulting in the single deadliest day for United States forces in a decade.
In what will be remembered as one of the most shameful and heartbreaking moments in our Nation’s collective memory, Joe Biden checked his watch — and time stood still — as a Sailor, Soldier, and 11 Marines returned home in flag-draped coffins, solemnly escorted by their brothers and sisters in arms. We will never forget the names of the 13 brave souls who shed their blood for our Nation: Staff Sergeant Darin T. Hoover, USMC; Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo, USMC; Sergeant Nicole L. Gee, USMC; Corporal Hunter Lopez, USMC; Corporal Daegan W. Page, USMC; Corporal Humberto A. Sanchez, USMC; Lance Corporal David L. Espinoza, USMC; Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz, USMC; Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum, USMC; Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola, USMC; Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, USMC; Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak, USN; and Staff Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss, USA.
As Commander in Chief, I will never allow our military service members to be so betrayed, our friends to be so abandoned, and our credibility to be so destroyed.
Fourth Anniversary of the Attack at Abbey Gate, 2025
“As Commander in Chief, I will never allow our military service members to be so betrayed, our friends to be so abandoned, and our credibility to be so destroyed.” – @POTUS https://t.co/Zvl6bn8BBU
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) August 25, 2025
WATCH the full event below, as President Trump, surrounded by the families of some of the 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate, signs the proclamation and takes questions from reporters.
READ MORE from The Hill.
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