The second U.S. strike on an Islamic State target in the aftermath of last week’s suicide bombing at the airport, which killed the troops and at least 170 others, comes as evacuation efforts are winding to a close.
President Biden spoke to relatives of the slain U.S. troops and participated in a “dignified transfer” — in which the remains of fallen service members are returned to the United States in flag-draped cases.
The Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, the Afghanistan and Pakistan arm of the militant group, asserted responsibility for the airport attack.
Here’s what to know:
Humberto Sanchez, 22, was known for ‘constantly trying to make people smile’
Before Humberto Sanchez, 22, joined the Marines, he was known in his hometown of Logansport, Ind., for making people laugh.
“He was a light that was on 24/7,” Kennedy Rickerd, who attended school with Sanchez from elementary through high school, told The Washington Post. “Everybody loved him.”
Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said Friday afternoon that he was heartbroken to learn that a native of his city of 18,000 in northern Indiana had died in the attack.
“This young man had not yet even turned 30 and still had his entire life ahead of him,” Martin wrote on Facebook. “Any plans he may have had for his post-military life were given in sacrifice due to the heart he exhibited in putting himself into harm’s way to safeguard the lives of others.”
Rickerd said one memory stands out from more than a decade of attending school with Sanchez. In fifth grade, Sanchez and some of his friends entered a singing competition to perform Beyoncé’s “All the Single Ladies,” complete with signature dance moves. They won, and no one else came close, she remembered.
“That’s the kind of person Humberto was, always,” Rickerd said. “He was constantly joking, constantly laughing, constantly trying to make people smile.”
Marine says he’ll resign after being relieved of command for calling out leaders on Afghanistan
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was relieved of command after a video of him criticizing senior U.S. officials for “failures” in Afghanistan went viral, announced Sunday that he will be leaving the Marine Corps after 17 years.
“All I asked for was accountability of my senior leaders when there are clear, obvious mistakes that were made,” he said in a video posted on LinkedIn this weekend.
“I am not saying we can take back what has been done; all I asked for was accountability,” he said.
Scheller said leaders accepting accountability for a harried U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan could have a more significant effect on service members “with post-traumatic stress or struggling with purpose” than any other “piece of paper or message.”
He added that he wanted to forfeit his retirement benefits.
The money, he said, should go to senior officers who “will need it more than I do.”
In a statement sent to The Washington Post on Sunday, a spokesperson said that the Marine Corps was aware of the video released by Scheller and that it was “taking appropriate action to ensure the safety and well being of Lt. Col. Scheller and his family.”
Scheller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. acknowledges reports of civilian casualties
Amid reports of civilian deaths after a U.S. military airstrike on a car in an urban Kabul area Sunday, the U.S. military acknowledged those potential casualties.
“We know that there were substantial and powerful subsequent explosions resulting from the destruction of the vehicle, indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties,” Navy Capt. Bill Urban said in a statement Sunday evening. “It is unclear what may have happened, and we are investigating further.”
Urban added that the U.S. military is “deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life.”
The airstrike hit vehicles and a home in a Kabul neighborhood a little more than a mile from the airport. Several civilians, including children, reportedly were killed.
It was unclear how many died in the second U.S. strike on an Islamic State target after last week’s suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport, where people have been gathering in hope of leaving the Taliban-ruled country.
“We are confident we successfully hit the target,” Urban said in a statement earlier Sunday, adding that at the time, the U.S. military had no indications of civilian casualties.
Analysis: How the number of Americans in Afghanistan went from 15,000 to 6,000
Readers have been asking: How did the number of estimated Americans in Afghanistan shrink so dramatically in a week? On Aug. 17, State Department officials told Congress it was as many as 15,000. Then, eight days later, the number had dwindled to 6,000, based on an analysis starting Aug. 14.
The vast difference has led to questions. Here’s an explanation, via an interview with a senior State Department official.
The first number — 15,000 — was a “very, very rough estimate” largely based on the number of people who had registered with the State Department as being in Afghanistan. There is no requirement for Americans to register overseas when they travel — few people do — but odds are higher in a war-torn country such as Afghanistan. So that was the starting point for figuring out how many Americans were in the country.
Kabul chaos echoes Operation Babylift rescue effort in Saigon
It was early April 1975 in Saigon, the final days of the South Vietnamese collapse in a ruinous war, and crying women were handing orphaned babies to Regina Aune.
Aune, a 30-year-old Air Force flight nurse, had just landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base as part of Operation Babylift, a mission ordered by President Gerald Ford to evacuate thousands of orphans before Saigon fell.
“It was just total chaos,” Aune recalled in an interview. “There was so much desperation.”
Aune took one baby after another onto a military cargo plane, their caretakers wailing as the children disappeared into the fuselage and a new life.
“You just wanted to cry,” she said. “But we also had a job to do.”
The screaming babies, the anguish — it all came back to Aune watching the chaos unfold at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, where thousands of Americans and Afghans have boarded planes bound for anywhere but there.
Jared Schmitz, 20, was tireless in his preparation as a Marine
Mark Schmitz, father of Jared Schmitz, 20, confirmed his son’s death in a brief Friday phone call with The Washington Post. He said his son had been a Marine since 2019.
Earlier that day, he told St. Louis radio station KMOX that his son, who was on his first deployment, had always wanted to serve his country in the military.
“His life meant so much more. I’m so incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man that he was very quickly growing into becoming,” Mark Schmitz told the radio station. He said he was informed of his son’s death after a middle-of-the-night knock on the door.
“The Marines came by last night at 2:40 in the morning to give us the horrific news,” Schmitz told KMOX.
Schmitz said his son, of Wentzville, Mo., was tireless in his preparation as a Marine.
“This was something he always wanted to do, and I’ve never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be,” said Mark Schmitz.
Baby born on evacuation flight for Afghan civilians who helped U.K. government
Wrapped in a pink hat and blanket, Saman Noori’s newborn, Havva, could have little inkling of her family’s harrowing escape to safety just before her birth.
The baby, born Saturday, was delivered on a Turkish Airlines flight from Dubai to Birmingham in the United Kingdom as part of the mass evacuation of civilians amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The flight included Afghans who have worked for the U.K. government.
Noori, 26, went into labor at about 33,000 feet and delivered Havva, whose name in English translates to Eve, without any doctor on the plane. Instead, the crew helped deliver the child above Kuwait’s airspace. Mother and daughter reportedly are in good health, the BBC reported.
Even under the safest of conditions, deliveries can be dangerous for mother and newborn. The flight briefly stopped in Kuwait as a precaution, then continued to the United Kingdom.
On Aug. 21, another Afghan refugee delivered a baby aboard an evacuation flight. The family named the daughter Reach, for a sign on the aircraft.
Dylan Merola, 20, was always happy to help
Whether he was undergoing a grueling Marines boot camp or spending time with his family, Dylan Merola, 20, did everything with his signature smile, his older brother, David Merola, told The Washington Post.
“He has always been a helpful kid, never meeting a stranger,” he said.
Merola, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was on his first overseas tour as a Marine and was a few weeks shy of returning home when he was killed in Kabul. At the time of the explosion, Merola was aiding efforts to evacuate children.
“He was a hero,” his brother said.
Merola graduated in 2019 from Los Osos High School, where he enjoyed working on the school’s theater productions.
“I knew Dylan for my most impactful year of high school in theater tech,” his friend Benjamin Gruchy posted on a GoFundMe campaign for Merola’s funeral expenses. “He always showed up with a smile and brought energy to everyone he was with.”
While he dreamed of becoming an engineer and had a passion for technology, Merola enlisted in the service because of his family’s military ties, his grandmother, Clarinda Matsuoka, told the Wall Street Journal.
Two of his great-grandfathers fought in the Korean War. “So, it’s kind of in his blood,” she told the outlet. “He wanted to serve his country. It’s all he talked about in high school.”
When the news of his death surfaced, his sense of duty and sunny disposition were highlighted across the outpouring of tributes and grief.
“My son went to boot camp with him, and said that Dylan always had the biggest smile,” Nancy Alvarado, a military mother, posted on Twitter. “He kept people’s spirits up in the tough moments with that smile.”
— María Luisa Paúl
U.S. airstrike killed civilians, including children, officials and witness say
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Unconfirmed reports of civilian casualties began to circulate on Afghan media outlets within hours of the U.S. strike Sunday.
Shortly after the strike, a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that early reports indicated “a vehicle was hit by the Americans,” killing one person, and that a rocket attack hit a house. He did not immediately respond to questions about whether civilians had been harmed. The New York Times quoted him Sunday as saying that civilians had suffered casualties and that the Taliban was “investigating the reason of the airstrike and the exact number of casualties.”
A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, told The Post that the strike was carried out with a Hellfire missile a little more than a mile from the airport, which is in a densely packed urban area. The secondary explosion damaged a building, raising the possibility of civilian casualties.
The official said the military assessed that two militants were in the vehicle when it exploded. It is unclear whether the car was rigged to be a bomb or a suicide vest detonated, causing the secondary explosion.
A resident of the neighborhood where the strike occurred and a Taliban official who said he visited the site said in interviews that eight or nine civilians had been killed, including children. Their accounts could not be immediately corroborated.
Photographs of the scene showed two burned-out cars next to a white, two-story house with many of the dwelling’s windows blown out. It was unclear whether both cars were targeted. The resident said in a telephone interview that the dead were all members of one family: three men, a woman and five children. One child had been seriously injured in the strike and later died, he said. Another child’s body was found under a car, he said.
“The family was living normal life. They were not involved in militant activities,” said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of his safety.
The Taliban official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said the adults were outside a car when it was struck, but four of the children were inside the vehicle.
Mehrdad reported from Doha, Qatar, and Fahim from Istanbul. Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report.
Maxton Soviak, 22, had planned to make a career in the Navy
A native of northern Ohio, Maxton Soviak, 22, had planned to make a career in the Navy, his family said in a statement.
“Max was a wonderful son who loved his family, his community, and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy. He was excited about the opportunities the Navy would offer him,” they said. “We are incredibly proud of his service to our country.”
He was a 2017 graduate of Edison High School in Milan, Ohio, which released a statement mourning his loss.
“Max was a good student who was active in sports and other activities throughout his school career. He was well respected and liked by everyone who knew him. Max was full of life in everything he did,” the statement said.
Those athletic endeavors included being a member of a state-champion wrestling team, his parents told The Washington Post, and consecutive semifinal trips with the football team.
His last words to his mother over video chat, Kip and Rachel Soviak told The Post in a statement, were of comfort.
“ ‘Don’t worry, Mom, my guys got me; they won’t let anything happen to me,’ ” his parents recounted. “ … Today she realized that they all just went together.”
Soviak, the lone sailor killed in the attack, is survived by Kip and Rachel Soviak and 12 of their other children. His parents offered comfort to the other families directly affected by Thursday’s attack.
“We would like to offer our condolences to the families that also lost a loved one yesterday,” the Soviaks told The Post on Friday, “and wish a speedy recovery to those that were injured.”
The storms of August: Biden’s devastating month stokes midterm fears among Democrats
Biden is mired in the most devastating month of his tenure in office — struggling to contain a deadly crisis in Afghanistan, an unyielding pandemic and other setbacks that have sent waves of anger and worry through his party as his poll numbers decline.
August started with Democrats sounding quiet alarms about the resurgence of the coronavirus and the uncertain fate of Biden’s domestic priorities, tempered by some optimism about the economy and a bipartisan infrastructure deal.
But the month nears its conclusion with sirens blaring about Biden’s strategy in Afghanistan, where 13 Americans were killed this past week, as well as heightening concern about covid-19. These anxieties have set off a fresh round of intraparty finger-pointing.
Many Democrats increasingly fear that the tenets of Biden’s presidency — competence, calm and control — can credibly be called into question for the first time, potentially laying a foundation for devastating consequences in the 2022 midterm elections.
“I just worry about his ability to achieve his agenda,” said John Jackson, chairman of the DeKalb County Democrats in Georgia, a midterm battleground.
“I don’t necessarily disagree with a lot of his policies — it’s his execution,” added Jackson, a Marine veteran who feels Biden’s handling of Afghanistan dented his competency credentials.
United States among dozens of countries pledging to keep taking in Afghans after withdrawal
In a joint statement with nearly 100 other countries, the United States said Sunday that it had received reassurances the Taliban would permit Afghans to leave the country after the U.S. withdrawal and that Washington, along with others, would continue to take in Afghans.
“We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan,” said the statement, whose signatories included NATO, though notably not China and Russia.
“We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country,” the statement continued. “We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.”
The statement provided no further details regarding the agreement or what, if any, action would be taken if the Taliban reneges.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that it was “not likely” that Washington would backtrack on its agreement to withdraw U.S. forces by Aug. 31, comments in sync with previous statements by the Biden administration.
Blinken also continued to reject criticism that the administration was caught unprepared for the Taliban’s swift return to power and the subsequent need to protect Afghans who worked with the United States during its two decades in the country, and to aid Afghans who oppose the extremist group.
“Our commitment to continue to help people leave Afghanistan who want to leave and who are not out by September 1st, that endures,” Blinken said. “There’s no deadline on that effort. And we have ways, we have mechanisms, to help facilitate the ongoing departure of people from Afghanistan if they choose to leave.”
Blinken told ABC News on Sunday that the risk of further attacks around the Kabul airport remained very high, a situation that has effectively halted most evacuation efforts.
The United States’ top diplomat said there were about 300 U.S. citizens who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave.
Kareem Nikoui, 20, was ‘an incredible individual with a great heart’
Steve Nikoui first saw the Marines nearing his home on his cellphone screen, which is linked to his doorbell camera, and he knew what their arrival meant, he told the Daily Beast. His son, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, had been in Kabul, and he closely monitored the news and any visitors who came to his home in Norco, Calif., the father told the outlet, mindful that military protocol is to send notification officers to deliver grim news.
The Marines arrived Thursday night, choked up and emotional, Steve Nikoui said. He wanted to absorb the news before anyone else in the family — so he could bear the responsibility of telling them himself.
“I’m still in shock. I haven’t been able to grasp everything that’s going on,” he told the outlet. “He was born the same year it started, and ended his life with the end of this war.”
Paul Arreola, a close friend of the Nikouis, said in a brief interview with The Washington Post that Nikoui’s death has devastated the family but that faith has helped it persevere. “He was an incredible individual with a great heart,” Arreola said.
News of Kareem Nikoui’s death rippled through the community east of Los Angeles. It’s not far from Camp Pendleton, where Nikoui was stationed, his father said.
Nikoui’s father lashed out at military officials and Biden over the attack. The Pentagon has produced few answers about how the attack occurred, saying there are clear failures. But officials have also said the job of searching Afghan evacuees at the airport exposed them to tremendous risk.
“I’m really disappointed in the way that the president has handled this, even more so the way the military has handled it. The commanders on the ground should have recognized this threat and addressed it,” Steve Nikoui told Reuters.
The city of Norco will add Kareem Nikoui’s name to a memorial plaza that recognizes local service members killed in action, the city said on Twitter.
Marines caught in suicide bombing had decided to stay on extra duty, commanding officer says
As time wound down on the sprawling U.S. military evacuation effort in Afghanistan, the Marines of Ghost Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, decided to stay on duty for an extra hour to see whether they could pull more American citizens and green-card holders to safety, their commanding officer said.
The decision exposed the service members to the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. troops, said Capt. Geoff Ball, the Marines’ company commander. Eleven Marines, a Navy sailor and one U.S. soldier were killed, along with about 170 Afghans, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.
Ball, in a lengthy Facebook post, said the Marines were working with British paratroopers and U.S. soldiers to pull families out of a drainage canal when the suicide bomber struck on the other side of the water.
The canal has been the site of packed crowds for days, as desperate potential evacuees have waded into brackish water to get the attention of U.S. troops on the other side, show their passports and paperwork, and bypass bottlenecks of other people who have not been able to enter the airport.
“All those working to save Afghans and Americans were fully exposed to the blast,” he wrote.
Ball declined to expand on his comments in a message.
“Nine of my Marines and Sailors gave their lives so that others may live, and almost 20 other members of my company were wounded by their side,” he wrote.
Other defense officials have said the number of U.S. troops wounded includes 20 who were sent for care in Germany and 10 to 15 more who were treated at the airport and remained on duty.
Ball said that a mass casualty event is something for which they train.
“It is defined by having fewer resources than necessary to process and handle those wounded,” he wrote. “In our case, we had a third of our entire force to care for in a split second. But in less than 20 minutes after the bomb detonated, we had our first wounded at the airport hospital and this included a ten minute drive time.”
In less than 24 hours, the remaining members of the company, deployed from California’s Camp Pendleton, were back to work watching over evacuees at the airport. The Marines were able to keep Abbey Gate, the site of the bombing, open when many others closed throughout the week, pausing only when the State Department could not process evacuees fast enough, Ball wrote.
Ball asked people to consider donating to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a nonprofit that focuses on caring for the families of deceased service members.