Young Statement on Deadly Attacks in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today issued the following statement regarding the deadly attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, that claimed the lives of at least 12 U.S. service members:

“My heart goes out to those Marines and service members who made the ultimate sacrifice today and to their families who joined the ranks of other Gold Star family members. Every American patriot grieves as we witness this tragically avoidable crisis unfolding in real time.

“These brave service members were doing their absolute best to safeguard the evacuation of Americans and innocent Afghan allies. Tragically, their heroic response was hamstrung by President Joe Biden and his administration, who have failed them at every turn. The American people cannot and should not accept these errors of judgment from their Commander in Chief.

“The Biden administration had months to plan our exit from Afghanistan and to methodically implement an exit strategy. Any plan should have made allowances for worst case scenarios. They should not have been constrained by arbitrary timelines. And under no circumstances should we have rushed to pull troops out before American and allied civilians were identified and ushered to safety.

“It is time for a deep accounting of what has gone wrong to ensure an operation like this never occurs again. Accountability cannot be deflected. We all deserve answers and we must receive them in short order.

“Tonight, we can take a measure of comfort in the knowledge that our fallen heroes are in God’s arms. We pray for the wounded, grieving families, and the safe return of those still in harm’s way. And we pray that all of our leaders will be granted wisdom and discernment in coming days.”