Biden pays respects to US troops killed in Afghanistan

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Joe Biden met successful solemn privateness Sunday with the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed successful the termination onslaught adjacent the Kabul airdrome and became the 4th commandant successful main to carnivore witnesser arsenic the remains of the fallen returned to U.S. ungraded from Afghanistan.

First woman Jill Biden joined the president astatine Dover Air Force Base to grieve with loved ones arsenic the “dignified transfer” of remains unfolded, a subject ritual for those killed successful overseas combat.

The dormant ranged successful property from 20 to 31, and came from California and Massachusetts and states successful between. They see a 20-year-old Marine from Wyoming who had been expecting his archetypal kid successful 3 weeks and a 22-year-old Navy corpsman who successful his past FaceTime speech with his parent assured her that helium would enactment harmless due to the fact that “my guys got me.”

Five were conscionable 20, calved not agelong earlier the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that spurred the United States to invade Afghanistan successful bid to topple al-Qaida and dismantle their Taliban hosts who ruled the country.

At their deaths, the 13 young work members were connected the crushed for the U.S. coda to its longest war, assisting a chaotic evacuation of Americans and of Afghans who helped the U.S. warfare effort and are present fleeing the Taliban aft their instrumentality to power.

“The 13 work members that we mislaid were heroes who made the eventual sacrifice successful work of our highest American ideals and portion redeeming the lives of others,” Biden said successful a connection Saturday. “Their bravery and selflessness has enabled much than 117,000 radical astatine hazard to scope information frankincense far.”

Family members of the fallen often question to Dover to beryllium contiguous arsenic flag-draped transportation cases are taken disconnected the transport level that returns them to American soil.

Aside from the quiescent commands of grant guards who transportation the transportation cases, the abbreviated prayers of the chaplain typically are the lone words spoken during the ritual.

Biden’s 3 astir caller predecessors arsenic presidents each attended specified dignified transfers. It was Biden’s archetypal clip taking portion successful the ritual arsenic president, but helium has been present before.

Biden attended a dignified transportation for 2 U.S. soldiers killed successful a termination blast astatine Bagram Airfield successful the last months of his vice presidency successful 2016. In 2008, portion a legislator and astatine the petition of the grieving family, helium attended 1 for a worker killed successful a car bombing successful Iraq. Biden told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that helium had to get support from the Pentagon to be the transfer.

The 13 troops who died successful Kabul were the archetypal U.S. work members killed successful Afghanistan since February 2020. That was erstwhile the Trump medication reached an statement with the Taliban that called for the militant radical to halt attacks connected Americans successful speech for a U.S. committedness to region each American troops and contractors by May 2021. Biden announced successful April that helium would person each forces retired by September.

Eleven of the 13 Americans killed were Marines. One was a Navy sailor and 1 an Army soldier.

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, Robert Burns and Matt Sedensky contributed to this report.