Families of US soldiers killed in Afghanistan withdrawal attack blast Biden

The families criticized Biden for not publicly saying the names of the 13 American soldiers.

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2024

A group of family members of some of the 13 American soldiers who died in a bomb attack outside the Kabul airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan have blamed President Joe Biden for the situation.

They raised their criticism at the Republican National Convention.

The families criticized Biden for not publicly saying the names of the 13 American soldiers.

“Joe Biden said the withdrawal from Afghanistan was an extraordinary success,” said Cheryl Juels, the aunt of Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee. “Look at our faces. Look at our pain and our heartbreak. And look at our rage. That was not an extraordinary success.”

Herman Lopez, the father of Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, also blasted Biden for his comment at last month’s debate that there hadn’t been “any troops dying anywhere in the world” during his administration.

“That hurt us all deeply,” Lopez said before he recited the names of the 13 service members who died in the attack.

“Now we have another son serving in the Army, and we do not trust Joe Biden with his life. We have faith in Donald Trump to lead our military,” Alician Lopez, Hunter Lopez’s mother, added.

US House representative, Mike Waltz, talked in his convention speech about Trump’s spending hours with the families of service members who were killed as the US withdrew from Afghanistan.

“Two of them came up to me afterwards and said this was the best thing that had happened to them since they had lost their sons,” Waltz recalled. “That night with President Trump.”

“Mr. President, you helped them heal,” he continued. “And I will forever, and they will be forever, and America will forever be grateful to you for that.”

In his convention speech, US House Representative Brian Mast criticized Biden for saying at the presidential debate last month that no US service members have died on his watch.

“Joe Biden doesn’t even remember that it cost the lives of 13 American heroes,” Mast said.

Mast, an Afghanistan war veteran who lost his legs and a finger in combat, said Biden has “disgraced their sacrifice.” He said neither Biden nor Harris deserves “to be saluted as commander in chief or to sit in the Oval Office.”

Meanwhile, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich claimed that Trump wanted to keep Bagram Air Base when US troops were being withdrawn from Afghanistan. Some US media outlets, however, said that it is a false claim as Trump had negotiated an agreement with the Islamic Emirate in 2020 that called for the withdrawal of US troops from all bases.

Trump: Afghanistan withdrawal ‘most embarrassing moment in history’

Business

Kazakhstan signs $18.8 million zinc ore supply agreement with Afghan company

Published

4 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

Ariana News

Kazakhstan has signed a major zinc ore supply agreement with an Afghan company as the two countries continue to expand economic cooperation and trade ties.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration, the contract was signed between Kazakhstan’s ShalkiyaZinc and Afghanistan’s Afghan German Bakhtar Company during the opening of the Kazakhstan Trade House in Kabul.

The signing took place as part of an official business mission led by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy, Serik Zhumangarin.

Under the agreement, Afghan German Bakhtar Company will supply approximately 30,000 tons of zinc ore annually on DAP (Delivered at Place) terms. The ore will be used as raw material for the production facilities of Kazakhstan’s Kazzinc. The total value of the contract is estimated at $18.88 million.

The deal marks a significant step in diversifying trade relations between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, moving beyond traditional agricultural exports into the mining and industrial sectors.

“Afghanistan today is a market of opportunities,” said Kanat Kudaibergen, Chairman of the Board of GWM Capital LTD. He noted that while Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan have historically consisted mainly of flour, grain, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products, demand is increasingly growing for machinery, equipment, and service solutions in agriculture, construction, and mining.

Kudaibergen expressed confidence that the newly established Trade House in Kabul would serve as an important platform for developing new business projects and expanding Kazakhstan’s non-resource exports.

The agreement follows recent discussions between Kazakh officials and Afghanistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund and Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, during which Kazakhstan expressed interest in sourcing zinc ore from Afghanistan.

Preparations for the deal began last year when specialists from Tau-Ken Samruk visited Afghanistan’s Bamyan province to assess the Pami-Kakrak zinc deposit. Samples collected during the visit were later analyzed by Kazzinc, which confirmed the feasibility of processing the ore at Kazakh facilities.

Economic relations between the two countries have been steadily strengthening. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of National Economy reported that bilateral trade reached $541.8 million in 2025. Both governments have set an ambitious target of increasing annual trade turnover to $3 billion in the coming years.