Fifth Anniversary of the Attack at Abbey Gate

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

At 5:36 p.m. on August 26, 2021, a lone ISIS-K terrorist pressed into the crowd at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, and detonated a body-worn bomb.  The terrorist was one of the thousands of prisoners released by the Taliban just 2 months earlier.  As a result, 13 American service members were killed, 45 were wounded, and more than 160 civilians were injured.

As a Nation, it is our sacred duty to honor — with the deepest respect and reverence — the men and women in uniform  who gave their lives that day, to remember all that was taken from their families, and to never forget their names:  Staff Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss, USA; Staff Sergeant Darin T. Hoover, USMC; Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo, USMC; Sergeant Nicole L. Gee, USMC; Corporal Hunter Lopez, USMC; Corporal Daegan W. Page, USMC; Corporal Humberto A. Sanchez, USMC; Lance Corporal David L. Espinoza, USMC; Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz, USMC; Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum, USMC; Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola, USMC; Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, USMC; and Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak, USN.

On the fifth anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate, we solemnly honor their selflessness and valor. 

For 20 years, the brave warriors of the United States Armed Forces fought across the mountains and cities of Afghanistan to destroy terrorism and remove the Taliban from power.  Yet within months, President Biden squandered those hard-fought gains, putting politics over strategy and rushing through a poorly executed withdrawal that would soon become one of the worst military disasters in our Nation’s history.

On July 2, 2021, President Biden withdrew American forces from Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night without even notifying the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.  The decision surrendered our largest military base in the country, lost billions of dollars of military equipment, and left our remaining forces without its strategic advantages as the Taliban rapidly advanced.  Within weeks, the Taliban seized Bagram and freed thousands of terrorists and criminals from its prisons.  Kabul soon fell, leaving our troops to carry out a desperate evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport amid the devastating collapse the previous administration’s incompetence had invited.

As Commander in Chief, I will always put America First and defend our sovereignty.  I was proud to apprehend the ISIS-K terrorist responsible for the atrocity and bring him to face the swift sword of American justice.  I will always stand by our service members, support our military families, and I will never allow the failures that led to Abbey Gate to be repeated.  On this solemn anniversary, we renew our sacred promise to the 13 fallen service members and their families that we will always remember their names, cherish their memory, and never forget the price they paid for our country. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2026, as a day in commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate.  I encourage all Americans to remember the heroism of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and the Gold Star Families who carry on their proud legacy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

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