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Pentagon to revisit Kabul airport bombing with new witness interviews
Over two years after a deadly bombing at the Kabul airport during the US military withdrawal, the Pentagon has decided to revisit the attack by conducting interviews with nearly 20 servicemen who were wounded.
This comes as the Pentagon is facing backlash from the GOP lawmakers and military personnel over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
General Michael E. Kurilla, overseeing the US Central Command, ordered the interviews saying it was “to ensure we do our due diligence” after new information came to light, according to The Washington Post.
A number of service members who were severely wounded in the bombing and had to be quickly evacuated from the country represent the bulk of the individuals to be interviewed. A few others who weren’t wounded but present on the site will also be interviewed, with the Central Command not ruling out the possibility of growing the scope of investigation if new threads emerge from the interviews.
The fresh investigation by the authorities was partly triggered by assertions from one of the service members injured in the blast who said he was never interview and that he may have been able to stop the attackers,
A report by The Post last year revealed that two US Marines had spotted a man, matching the description of the the alleged bomber and asked for permission to strike. However, the high command did not grant them permission, saying there were too many civilians nearby.
Notably, the Central Command’s investigation report into the blasts, published in October 2021 stated that owing to the worsening security situation at the airport’s Abbey Gate “the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees”.
The bombing on August 26, 2021 led to the death of over 170 Afghans and 13 US servicemen.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
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Uzbekistan and Japan discuss joint projects for Afghanistan’s socio-economic development
The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, has met with Tetsuya Yamada, Director General of the South Asia Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan-related development projects.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides focused on the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at supporting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Japanese side praised Uzbekistan’s “pragmatic approach” toward Afghanistan, as well as the infrastructure developed in the border city of Termez.
Japan also expressed interest in utilizing the Termez facilities for future humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, private sector development, and counter-narcotics efforts.
Both sides emphasized that such cooperation is aimed at improving the living conditions and overall well-being of the Afghan people.
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