Marine in Kabul Airport Blast Says He Was Told Not to Shoot Daesh Bomber

 

"We had a guy 20 feet away from us, and he (the bomber) had a dead-man's switch," the Marine said. "We were told to let him through. It was a total, total betrayal of what we were supposed to do."

 

The Marine's account contradicts previous statements made by Pentagon officials who maintained that no Americans had direct contact with the bomber prior to the attack. The Marine's claim also raises questions about the US military's rules of engagement and whether they allowed for soldiers to defend themselves in such situations.

 

“The withdrawal was a catastrophe, in my opinion, and there was an inexcusable lack of accountability and negligence,” he said. “The 11 Marines, one sailor and one soldier that were murdered that day have not been answered for.”

 

The August 2021 bombing killed 13 US service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians. ِDaesh-K, an offshoot of Daesh, claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

Ending his opening statement, Vargas-Andrews requested that the House committee ask him more about the day of the bombing, noting that “no one wanted my report post-blasts — even NCIS and the FBI failed to interview me.”

 

Nearly 130,000 people were airlifted from Afghanistan during the mission, but the Biden administration has been regularly criticized for ending the mission before hundreds of Americans and thousands of former elite Afghan military personnel, interpreters and women leaders promised sanctuary could be evacuated.