A new military tell-all book, titled ‘Kabul: The Untold Story of Biden’s Fiasco and the American Warriors Who Fought to the End,’ sheds light on the events that led to the suicide bombing at Kabul airport in 2021 which killed 13 American troops and around 170 Afghan civilians. The incident was seared into the memories of Americans, as they watched Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan unfold before their eyes.
Now, in addition to the murder of random civilians during the withdrawal, authors Jerry Dunleavy and James Hasson claim in the new book that relying on the Taliban for security during the chaotic evacuation set the foundation for a tragic ending. The authors accessed intelligence files that show US officials understood a violent attack or bombing was imminent. Operational decision-makers were too beholden to Taliban security officials, however, which caused missed opportunities to counter the responsible ISIS-K terror cell.
According to co-author James Hasson, mistakes made by leaders in Washington throughout the withdrawal compounded the risk to the troops on the ground. The book details at least two opportunities US forces had to disrupt the attack. Intelligence of an impending ISIS-K attack on American troops manning entry points surfaced nine days before the tragic events at the Abbey Gate.
The threat of an attack was so high, in fact, that Marines were ordered to kneel throughout the night to reduce their exposure to an explosion.
