President Trump announced that August 26 would be set apart to honor the service members involved in the Abbey Gate attack during the failed Afghanistan withdrawal.
“On one of the darkest days in our Nation’s history, 4 years ago, the gates of hell sprung open when an evil Jihadi terrorist carried out a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan — killing 13 heroes of our United States Armed Forces and shattering the hearts of Americans and our allies,” Trump’s proclamation reads. “As our Nation remembers this atrocious attack, we honor the memory of every brave warrior who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We join in grief with the families who senselessly lost a loved one, and we renew our solemn pledge to our 13 fallen patriots — we will never forget you; we will never forsake you; and your memory will live on forever.”
The proclamation asserts that Trump, as Commander in Chief, will “never allow our military service members to be so betrayed, our friends to be so abandoned, and our credibility to be so destroyed.”
“As our Nation solemnly marks 4 years since the attack at Abbey Gate, we honor the memory of the 13 brave souls and every military service member to ever die in the line of duty — and we renew our resolve to protect American lives, defend American interests, and uphold American sovereignty,” the declaration reads, officially declaring that August 26, 2025 is a “day in commemoration of the 4th 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,” Trump said.
In May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth opened an investigation into the Biden-era Afghanistan withdrawal.
“President Trump promised accountability for what transpired during that military withdrawal, and I am committed to delivering on that promise,” Hegseth said in a statement at the time. “We have an obligation to the American people and to the warfighters who fought in Afghanistan to get the truth – and we will.”
In a memo to the Defense Department, Hegseth said that while the DOD has reviewed the event over the last three months, he has concluded that “we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.”
