iscover
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that a full review of the 2021 suicide bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, will be available in mid-2026.
The attack, reportedly carried out by a bomber affiliated with ISIS-Khorasan and wearing an improvised explosive device, killed 13 US service members and more than 170 Afghan civilians at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate.
“The special review panel at the department continues its vital work to investigate the botched withdrawal, ensuring that the pursuit of accountability and transparency does not waver,” according to a US DOD statement.
“While the review is ongoing, the effort to uncover the full truth behind the decisions made during this period has not stopped and will not stop until every aspect is examined and those responsible are held to account.”
The review is being conducted by a Defense Department special review panel, led by Chief Pentagon Spokesman and senior adviser Sean Parnell, and follows a multi-month supplemental review of the original Abbey Gate investigation that began almost two years ago.
Ordered by US Central Command in September 2023, the supplemental review reaffirmed the military’s finding of the initial investigation that the Abbey Gate attack could not have been preventable at the tactical level.
“Justice for the families of the 13 fallen service members is an essential priority,” Secretary Hegseth said.
“We owe it to them, to the American people, and to all who wear the uniform to comb through every detail of what happened, delivering full accountability and restoring trust.
“America deserves answers as far as what happened in Afghanistan; the military needs to answer for what happened in Afghanistan.”
