{"id":31881,"date":"2023-08-28T18:26:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T18:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/28\/2-years-after-deadly-kabul-attack-pentagon-chief-stands-in-sorrow\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T21:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:07:22","slug":"2-years-after-deadly-kabul-attack-pentagon-chief-stands-in-sorrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/08\/28\/2-years-after-deadly-kabul-attack-pentagon-chief-stands-in-sorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"2 years after deadly Kabul attack, Pentagon chief \u2018stands in sorrow\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The top Pentagon official marked the two-year anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed 13 U.S. service members and hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan with a somber message Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we mark this painful milestone, my heart is with the families of these 13 American heroes,\u201d Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said <\/a>in a statement. \u201cToday, the entire Department of Defense stands in sorrow with them \u2014 along with all of the families whose loved ones gave their lives during our 20 years in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Aug. 26, 2021, suicide attack at Abbey Gate of Kabul\u2019s Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 11 Marines, one Navy corpsman and one soldier<\/a>, as well as approximately 170 Afghan civilians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir selflessness and valor helped defend their comrades and lift tens of thousands of Afghans to safety, allowing them to pursue new lives in freedom,\u201d Austin said of the fallen service members. \u201cWe will never forget what they gave to serve this country that we love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t