One of the first dark moments for the Biden administration occurred just months after taking office. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan destroyed America's credibility and scarred generations of veterans.
Perhaps the most notable event three years ago was the explosion at Kabul airport. The attack claimed the lives of 13 U.S. military personnel and approximately 170 Afghans.
Since the attack, there have been parliamentary hearings and two investigations into what happened. There is no doubt that the Biden administration wants to close this chapter, but one video casts doubt on the US government's claims.
caught on camera
CNN A report was released on the video taken with a Marine Corps GoPro on the day of the Kabul airport bombing. Video shows numerous gunshots during and after the explosion.
The video confirms what military officials have been claiming since the attack.Some say they were shot. and returned fire. However, the Pentagon continues to maintain that no such shootout occurred.
The Pentagon says the service members, who it believes were involved in multiple shootings, were likely „disoriented.“ A statement released by the Pentagon said there were only three gunfights.
The three shootings are alleged to have occurred at approximately the same time, with small „warning shots“ fired by US and British forces. But videos obtained and analyzed by CNN paint a very different picture.
The shooting was widespread and sustained, according to video and interviews with more than a dozen anonymous soldiers. An anonymous military member told CNN:
„There was a lot of shooting.“
The video shows 11 episodes of gunshots lasting a total of four minutes. This is quite a difference compared to if he had three small gunshots at the same time.
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story hole
In addition to the troubling inconsistency of the shooting activity between the Pentagon's claims and what the video showed, there is also the argument that perhaps not all those who died that day were killed in the explosion. The Pentagon maintains that the three warning shots did not hit anyone.
Essentially, they claim that everyone who died that day, including 13 military personnel and some 170 Afghans, died in the explosion. However, witnesses to the incident claim otherwise.
Dr. Saeed Ahmadi, former director of Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, provided information that refutes the Pentagon's version. Now living in Finland, he feels safe sharing his memories of what happened that day.
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He claims he removed bullets from wounded Afghans and about a dozen died from gunshot wounds. do not have As a result of an explosion. he told CNN.
„Injuries caused by explosions are severe and result in many holes in the body. However, the people who were shot had only one or two holes in their chests and heads.“
Dr. Ahmadi goes on to explain the difference between extracting a bullet and extracting the ball bearings often packed into suicide bombs:
„Of course, when you look at a bullet, it is completely different from ball bearings. Everyone knows whether they are a soldier or a doctor.“
What does the Department of Defense say about this information?
I don't see anything here
For now, the Pentagon is sticking to its guns. Dr. Ahmadi's testimony was never called upon, nor were Afghan eyewitness accounts from that day taken into account in the investigation.
Asked why Afghan witnesses were not included, Lt. Col. Rob Lodewick, a public affairs adviser, said it was because „the scope and focus of the U.S. operation did not require it.“ Lt. Col. Lodewick went on to comment on the investigation:
„…there was no overwhelming need to pursue external Afghanistan-centric intelligence.“
Perhaps the real reason that testimonies like Dr. Ahmadi's were not considered may be fear of what might be exposed. As if the Pentagon could be covering up the fact that American forces may have inadvertently killed Afghan civilians, there are also speculations that Dr. Ahmadi may have lied under duress. There are some doubts.
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The doctor told CNN that he received two calls after the explosion asking him to stop recording deaths from the explosion and deaths from gunfire. On one phone call he said:
„He spoke Dari fluently. He said to me, 'Sir, what are you doing?' You love your life. you love your family This is bad when collecting data. It will create a very dangerous situation for you. It's better to stop as soon as possible. ”
If his claims are true, the question is who made the call.
history repeats
Will the American people, stranded Afghans, Forever War veterans, and the families of the 13 killed in action ever learn the truth about what happened that day? A student of history would probably argue no.
Some recall memories of lies surrounding the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman and wonder if the same scenario could have happened at the Kabul airport three years ago. Regarding CNN's report, Congressman Matt Walz said: Said:
„I was surprised by the CNN report that just showed never-before-seen footage from the Marines who were there.“
The councilor went on to ask:
“…Why wasn’t it included in either of the two previous Department of Defense investigations?”
If I had to guess, it's probably because it makes the Pentagon and its „leaders“ look bad. As tensions rise in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia, Americans should demand truth and accountability from the Department of Defense.
Otherwise, American families risk sending their sons and daughters into yet more eternal wars, never knowing the truth about what happened to them in a foreign land. .
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