Reactions to the Terror Attack in Kabul

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Alex Jordan, Communications Manager, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, 404.558.3581/[email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC — This afternoon, the Pentagon confirmed multiple U.S. service members and Afghans were killed in a terrorist attack at Kabul airport earlier today. In response, members of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft have issued the following comments:

Quincy Institute President Andrew Bacevich says: “The attack on U.S. troops supporting the evacuation in Kabul is a devastating tragedy. John Kerry’s haunting question from 1971 returns in full force: ‘How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?’  Like Vietnam, America’s war in Afghanistan was a massive mistake.  It is beyond sad that young Americans still die for it.”

Lora Lumpe, CEO of the Quincy Institute, says: “My heart breaks for the victims of this terrible attack and their loved ones. Today, Americans pause to reflect on the tragic loss of yet more service members in Afghanistan and grieve for their loved ones; tomorrow, we can honor this pain and sacrifice by continuing to support the President in his efforts to end our 20-year military engagement in Afghanistan.” 

Adds Adam Weinstein, Quincy Institute Research Fellow and Afghan combat veteran: “I am sickened by the murder of U.S. service members and Afghans today, and I mourn for their families. The Americans killed at the Kabul airport were working to fulfill the duty we incurred to the Afghan people over twenty years of waging war in their country.” 

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