U.S. Representative Ken Calvert (R-Corona) expressed his disapproval over the delay in confirming the identity of the bomber who attacked Kabul airport, killing 13 American soldiers in August 2021. "[It’s] beyond shameful and nakedly obvious," said Calvert, reacting to a new review of the incident by the U.S. Central Command.
"Just weeks after the Abbey Gate bombing, national security officials knew the name of the bomber responsible for killing 13 American servicemembers. I publicly shared that name in September of 2021 because the families of the fallen, which include my constituents, deserved the truth," said Calvert. "After years have passed and multiple reports written, the Biden administration is just now for the first time confirming the name of the bomber and admitting he was released from the Bagram prison after U.S. troops and Afghans abandoned it. It's beyond shameful and nakedly obvious that the Biden administration has tried to bury this information for no reason other than to prevent further embarrassment from one of the deadliest foreign policy debacles in American history."
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) revealed that no new information disclosed in public testimony given in March 2023 had any effect on the original investigation's findings. The report does identify Abdul Rahman al-Logari as the lone ISIS-K suicide bomber who carried out the attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate, which also claimed approximately 170 Afghan civilian lives.
ABC News reported that al-Logari set off a vest rigged with 20 pounds of military-grade explosives on August 26, 2021. This marks the first time American authorities have confirmed al-Logari as the bomber.
The incident took place during the final stages of U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of conflict initiated in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Calvert, a member of the Republican Party representing California's 41st Congressional District, is a lifelong resident of Riverside County and has been a small business owner for almost two decades, according to his congressional website biography. He holds a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University (SDSU) and is among the longest-serving members of the U.S. House of Representatives.