Former President Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony Monday morning at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 American soldiers killed at the Kabul airport attack three years ago during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The former president took part in the ceremony by helping to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Mr. Trump appeared alongside family members of the service members who were killed in a bomb blast at a gate outside Kabul International Airport.
Mr. Trump’s appearance elicited criticism on social media of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic presidential nominee and running against Mr. Trump. Neither of them attended. Mr. Biden was vacationing at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Ms. Harris was in Washington with no public events scheduled.
Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris both issued statements.
“Today and every day, I mourn and honor them,” Mr. Biden said in the written statement. “My prayers are with their families and loved ones. My heart breaks for their pain and their loss. These 13 devoted patriots represent the best of America, putting our beloved nation and their fellow Americans above themselves and deploying into danger to keep their fellow citizens safe.”
Mr. Biden’s statement listed the names of each of the soldiers.
In her statement, Ms. Harris also listed the soldiers but added that she was also thinking of other service members who served in Afghanistan. She referred to her trip to the country when she served in the Senate and said she would always honor their service and sacrifice.
Mr. Biden was widely blamed for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. The publicized decision to pull out of the country so suddenly was seen as putting the safety of troops at risk. Billions of dollars worth of equipment were left behind and taken over by the Taliban.
Ms. Harris defended the withdrawal in her statement.
“As I have said, President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war,” the vice president said. “Over the past three years, our Administration has demonstrated we can still eliminate terrorists, including the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS, without troops deployed into combat zones. I will never hesitate to take whatever action necessary to counter terrorist threats and protect the American people and the homeland.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.