A new CENTCOM review found there is no evidence that Marine snipers at Abbey Gate in Kabul had eyes on the suicide bomber before the August 2021 attack that killed 13 service members.
Following a new supplemental review of the Abbey Gate suicide bombing that left 13 American service members dead during the chaotic Afghan withdrawal in 2021, U.S. Central Command found the Marine sniper team at Abbey Gate did not have the suicide bomber in its sights prior to the attack.
Members of the sniper team have said they had the target within their sights and were not given permission to shoot. Commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, ordered a supplemental investigation last summer following testimony on Capitol Hill from some of the survivors who indicated they believed they could have taken out the bomber and prevented the attack. U.S.
This new review shows a screenshot of the video stream from the sniper scope of the Marine unit guarding the gate. The 'bald man in black' seen in the video was suspected of being the suicide bomber by some of the Marines. The video shows a middle-aged bald man who was acting suspicious. The two Marine snipers spotted him at 7 a.m. on Aug. 26. According to the report, they lost sight of him at 10 a.m. and the blast occurred at 5:36 p.m.
intelligence and a video released by ISIS show the suicide bomber to be Abdul Rahman al-Logari, who had a beard and appeared to be several decades younger than the man the sniper team spotted. Facial comparisons show al-Logari and the 'bald man in black' that Vargas-Andrews and his sniper team had identified to be different people. The two received the 'strongest negative result,' according to this new review.
Families of the 13 service members killed in the attack and several U.S. service members who survived the attack were briefed together by the investigators of the review earlier this month. 'Our focus continues to be on fulfilling our solemn obligations to the Abbey Gate Gold Star Families,' a CENTCOM spokesperson said. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Erik Kurilla have both been briefed on the results of this review. Thirteen U.S.
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