Five Years After Abbey Gate, Afghanistan Withdrawal's Shadow Looms

Five years after the deadly attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, the consequences of the US withdrawal continue to resonate. Former President Donald Trump marked the anniversary with a proclamation, highlighting the loss of 13 American service members and over 160 civilians. He directly blamed the Taliban for releasing the ISIS-K terrorist who carried out the bombing, stating, "The terrorist was one of the thousands of prisoners released by the Taliban just 2 months earlier."

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The terrorist was one of the thousands of prisoners released by the Taliban just 2 months earlier. As a result, 13 American service members were killed, 45 were wounded, and more than 160 civilians were injured.

Trump did not hold back his criticism of the subsequent Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal. "Yet within months, President Biden squandered those hard-fought gains, putting politics over strategy and rushing through a poorly executed withdrawal that would soon become one of the worst military disasters in our Nation’s history," he stated. This sentiment is echoed in a new video documentary by The Wall Street Journal's Opinion section, titled "The Path to Zero: The Withdrawal From Afghanistan."

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Yet within months, President Biden squandered those hard-fought gains, putting politics over strategy and rushing through a poorly executed withdrawal that would soon become one of the worst military disasters in our Nation’s history.

The documentary, described as an "unflinching account," features interviews with diplomats, generals, and soldiers who experienced the chaotic evacuation firsthand. It traces the cascading decisions that led to the closure of Bagram Airfield, the swift collapse of the Afghan army, and the desperate scramble through Kabul airport. The film also gives voice to the "moral injury" that many young Marines who manned the gates still carry, underscoring the profound human cost of the event.

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On the fifth anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate, we solemnly honor their selflessness and valor.

The withdrawal itself was marked by tragic chaos. The US had already left Bagram Airfield in July 2021, ahead of the final withdrawal date, accelerating a process that was meant to extend through September. As the Afghan security forces crumbled and the country rapidly fell to the Taliban, the evacuation became a desperate race against time. The article notes that leaving conflicts like the one in Afghanistan is often more difficult than entering them, a lesson the US has seen in past wars.

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an unflinching account of America's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, told by the people who lived it.