The US Central Command released a report stating that the suicide bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul airport during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was not preventable. Despite allegations that Marines spotted a potential threat and requested permission to shoot him, the chaotic circumstances at the crowded evacuation point did not allow for the identification and engagement of the suicide bomber. The investigation identified Abdul Rahman al-Logari as the terrorist responsible for the attack, suggesting that the attack was not preventable at a tactical level without compromising the evacuation mission.
Abdul Rahman al-Logari, the suicide bomber, had been released by the Taliban from a detention facility at Bagram Air Base, which the US had hastily abandoned before the attack. The Biden administration reopened the investigation into the bombing after pressure from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who accused the administration of withholding critical information about the circumstances surrounding the attack. The investigation also revealed that the Taliban was executing civilians outside the airport, creating chaos and a dangerous environment for US servicemembers stationed at the gates amid significant ISIS-K threats.
Marines stationed near Abbey Gate suspected a potential threat the morning of the bombing but were advised by military officials that the individual they identified was not the suicide bomber. Some Marines tried to engage the potential threat but were denied permission to shoot, leading to injuries and casualties among US service members. The investigation found that positive identification of the bomber before the attack would have been difficult due to the density of the crowd and the timeline of events leading up to the bombing.
Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who was injured in the blast, testified before McCaul’s committee that he believed he saw the suicide bomber before the attack but was not given authorization to engage him. Another Marine, Tristan Hirsch, reported that a man fitting a description of a potential terrorist repeatedly appeared and left the airport perimeter the day before and the day of the bombing, but permission to engage was not granted. The military review dismissed claims of confusion over engagement orders and commended the Marines for their vigilance leading up to the attack.
The investigation findings indicated that the suicide bomber was not identified prior to the attack, and the chaotic circumstances at Abbey Gate during the evacuation mission did not allow for engagement before the bombing. Despite suspicions of a potential threat, there was no opportunity for US service members to prevent the attack. The report highlighted the challenges of engaging potential threats in a crowded and chaotic environment and emphasized the need for a thorough understanding of the events leading up to the attack to prevent similar incidents in the future.
