During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, a protestor was removed after shouting a reminder of the deadly Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, highlighting ongoing demands for accountability.
During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, a disturbance was caused by an individual shouting “remember Abbey Gate” from the gallery, referring to the deadly terrorist attack outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in August 2021. The protester was subsequently escorted from the House and handcuffed. The Abbey Gate attack, occurring amid the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians, becoming the deadliest day for U.S. troops in the region in ten years.
The incident coincided with ongoing calls for accountability from families of the American casualties, who have been pressing the Biden administration for answers related to the attack. In a notable gesture, Gold Star parents, whose children were among those killed at Abbey Gate, were invited to the address by House Speaker Mike Johnson, underlining the pursuit of transparency and justice for the tragic event and its impact on both American and Afghan lives.
