Marine Sniper Testifies That Leaders Ignored Warnings of Suspected Suicide Bomber Before Kabul Attack

On March 8, House members heard the stories of pain, courage, and the continuing search for justice. This was as the August 2021 US departure from Afghanistan began to take place.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee heard emotional testimony that highlighted a sad truth. Many who were in Afghanistan felt they, and their Afghan friends, had been left out in the cold. This led to a widespread sense of despair.

During a discussion between Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican and Marine Sergeant Tyler Vargas­Andrews, this was emphasized.

Vargas-Andrews’ Marine Corps Scout sniper team was sent to what was then Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, where he described a scene of chaos and horror as tens of thousands of Afghans descended on the airport, seeking to flee the Taliban.

“Some Afghans turned away from HKIA tried to kill themselves on the razor wire we used as a deterrent. They thought this was merciful compared to the Taliban torture they faced,” He testified.

Vargas-Andrews was able to survive the suicide bombing on Aug. 26, which claimed 13 U.S. military personnel’s lives and over 160 civilians in Afghanistan at the airport.

As he thought back to the terrible events that had occurred on that fateful day, he broke down.

Vargas-Andrews stated that intelligence had already disseminated information about a suicide bomber and his accomplice before the attack.

He testified that, prior to the attack, he and another servicemember had spotted two men who fit those descriptions—an impression that was confirmed by others at the airport.

Vargas-Andrews said that when he attempted to obtain permission to fire upon the suicide bomber, his commander in battalion couldn’t verify if he was allowed to do so. The suspect eventually vanished into the crowd.

“To this day, we believe he was the suicide bomber,” Vargas-Andrews testified.

“Have you ever been interviewed by any part of the United States government about what you witnessed on the frontline?” Mast was asked.

“Not by a single individual or organization,” Vargas-Andrews responded.

Mast rattled off name and number after name. The Pentagon, the Marine Corps, the State Department, the CIA, the FBI—none of them wanted to hear from him about what he witnessed on the ground?

There were no replies after the other.

Representatives told him that he felt like he was back in the military after the experience. “not valued.”

Vargas-Andrews, along with other witnesses, nodded as Rep. Mark Green (R. Tenn.), asked them if they knew of any arms comrades who had died since August 2021. “because they felt like it was all for nothing.”

“The blood of those men and women’s hands are on the president, period,” Green was a combat veteran in Afghanistan.

Green just informed his colleagues that President Joe Biden had overruled top Pentagon officials with whom they had spoken. They wanted to pull out of Bagram Air Base.

“Those leaders told the president ‘we need 3,500 soldiers’ to guard the base for the exfil [exfiltration]. According to those generals, in a room at the White House, the president himself said, ‘No, go to 600 troops,'” Green stated.

“With 600 you can’t hold Bagram, so the decision to exfil from Kabul became necessary,” He added.

The Epoch Times reached out to Department of Defense for comments.

Allies ‘Not Forgotten’

Witnesses from other countries also testified of the desperate situation faced by Afghan allies who are still there, or living in third-world states.

Francis Q. Hoang was a West Point grad who served in ex-Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He said, “The United States has always been there.” “rushed and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan” It violated the trust of people it had taken vows to protect

Hoang, who was 2 years of age at the time when his family were airlifted to Vietnam from Vietnam was the Fall Of Saigon. At that point more than 100,000 Southeast Asians had been loyal during Vietnam War were relocated.

“We have not forgotten you,” He also pledged U.S. Allies to remain in Afghanistan.

Democrats spoke out against the Biden administration and criticized the Republicans. After 9/11, the initial search for Al Qaeda grew into a four-decade-long exercise in nation building.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Democratic California Representative, criticized the committee for not providing adequate funding for the State Department. After decades of switching control from both sides, Congress was unable to vote on the war.

They advised Republicans not to be as partisan and slammed former President Donald Trump. Their argument was that Trump’s Doha deal with Taliban as well as his refugee policies made the withdrawal even more complicated.

“These policy decisions not only altered the balance of power and reduced U.S. leverage in Afghanistan but created incredibly difficult circumstances as we worked to bring allies to safety and the U.S. war in Afghanistan to a close,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., is the ranking member of this committee.

Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) The issues in Afghanistan involved both sides, acknowledged Rep. French Hill (R. Ark.). However, he was still puzzled by the inability of the Biden Administration to come up with a solid evacuation plan between January 2020 and August 2021.

Hill pointed out that the committee was particularly suspicious of classified intelligence briefings that were given in Summer and Spring 2021, which purportedly outlined such a plan.

“We may well not have had any choice but to leave. But how you leave is a choice—and it could have been done, in my view, in an extraordinarily more effective manner.”