Military

Pentagon Says Deadly Kabul Airport Attack Was ‘Not Preventable’

February 5, 2022Dustin Jones
Pentagon Kabul Investigation

A Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit carries a baby during the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 28, 2021. US Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla.

A long-awaited Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack in August 2021 at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans, found a single suicide bomber evaded security checkpoints before detonating at the Abbey Gate.


Top military officials unveiled the findings of the investigation Friday, Feb. 4, in a press conference.


A lone member of the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate, ISIS-K, detonated a suicide vest packed with ball bearings on Aug. 26, 2021, creating a scene of chaos, death, and destruction as US forces worked to evacuate thousands of terrified Afghans, officials said. Leading up to the bombing, US forces on the ground had told crowds how to bypass the Taliban checkpoints to access the Abbey gate. 


The investigation found the bomber had also capitalized on the alternate routes, Pentagon officials said.


“Based upon our investigation, at the tactical level this was not preventable,” Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis said, adding that military leaders on the ground followed proper security measures.


Pentagon Kabul Investigation
Army Brig. Gen. Lance G. Curtis, commanding general, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, briefs the media on the results of the Pentagon investigation into the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate’s bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport. The briefing was held Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Washington, DC. Department of Defense photo by Lisa Ferdinando.

After the bomb detonated, however, there was no follow-up attack by gunmen, as the Pentagon had previously thought. Gunfire after the blast was determined to have been warning shots fired by US and British troops, allegedly without hitting a single Afghan citizen, and what medical teams initially thought were bullet wounds turned out to be evidence of the ball bearings, which leave similar entry wounds, according to the Pentagon.


“The best information we had in the immediate aftermath of the attack indicated it was a complex attack by both a suicide bomber and an ISIS-K gunman,” Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., head of US Central Command, said. “We now know that the explosively fired ball bearings caused wounds that look like gunshots.”


However, an investigative report conducted by ProPublica and Alive in Afghanistan published before the Pentagon’s briefing argues otherwise. 


That report cited an interview with a senior surgeon who treated the wounded civilians in Kabul. According to Dr. Mir Abdul Azim, who has more than 15 years of experience in the emergency room, his patients did have evidence of gunshot wounds, despite the lack of bullets pulled from bodies. The Pentagon’s investigation has not been made available to the public, and Coffee or Die Magazine has not reviewed the findings.


Read Next: ISIS Leader Dead After US Special Operations Raid in Syria



Dustin Jones
Dustin Jones

Dustin Jones is a former senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine covering military and intelligence news. Jones served four years in the Marine Corps with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. He studied journalism at the University of Colorado and Columbia University. He has worked as a reporter in Southwest Montana and at NPR. A New Hampshire native, Dustin currently resides in Southern California.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Coffee Or Die Photo
From the Team Room to Team Room Design: An Operator’s Creative Journey

BRCC partners with Team Room Design for an exclusive T-shirt release!

Coffee Or Die Photo
Get Your Viking On: The Exclusive 30 Sec Out BRCC Shirt Club Design

Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.

Grizzly Forge BRCC shirt
Limited Edition: Grizzly Forge Blades on an Awesome BRCC Shirt

Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.

BRCC Limited Edition Josh Raulerson Blackbeard Skull Shirt
From Naval Service to Creative Canvas: BRCC Veteran Artist Josh Raulerson

Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.

Medal of Honor is held up.
Biden Will Award Medal of Honor to Army Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Soldiers in Vietnam Firefight

Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.

dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2024 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved