Trump rebukes Harris and Biden on anniversary of Afghanistan bombing that killed 13 service members

DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Monday tied Vice President Kamala Harris to the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, calling the attack a “humiliation.”

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, who were killed alongside more than 100 Afghans in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport. He then traveled to Michigan to address the National Guard Association of the United States conference.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world," Trump told an audience of about 4,000, including National Guard members and their families in Detroit.

President Joe Biden's administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.

In his speech to the National Guard in Detroit, Trump said that leaving Afghanistan was the right thing to do but that the execution was poor. “We were going to do it with dignity and strength," he said. He called the attack “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”

Since Biden ended his reelection bid, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He has specifically highlighted the vice president’s statements that she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision on Afghanistan.

“The voters are going to fire Kamala and Joe on Nov. 5, we hope, and when I take office we will ask for the resignations of every single official,” Trump said in Detroit. “We’ll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day. You know, you have to fire people. You have to fire people when they do a bad job.”

In her own statement marking the anniversary of the Kabul airport attack, Harris said she mourns the 13 U.S. service members who were killed. “My prayers are with their families and loved ones. My heart breaks for their pain and their loss,” she said.

Harris said she honors and remembers all Americans who served in Afghanistan.

“As I have said, President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war. Over the past three years, our Administration has demonstrated we can still eliminate terrorists, including the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS, without troops deployed into combat zones,” she said. “I will never hesitate to take whatever action necessary to counter terrorist threats and protect the American people.”

Biden said in a statement Monday that the 13 Americans who died were “patriots in the highest sense” who “embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless.”

“Ever since I became Vice President, I carried a card with me every day that listed the exact number of American service members who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan—including Taylor, Johanny, Nicole, Hunter, Daegan, Humberto, David, Jared, Rylee, Dylan, Kareem, Maxton, and Ryan,” Biden said.

The relatives of some of the American service members who were killed appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention last month and spoke on Monday in a media call along with Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. They said they are still trying to get answers on how their loved ones died.

“For them to think that is OK and treat it as another page in a book that they’re just flipping over for the next chapter it saddens me and frightens me all at the same time,” said Alicia Lopez, the mother of Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, who added she has another son serving in the military. "I pray that I don’t get another knock on my door because of the lack of responsibilities this administration has for our military.”

Asked Monday why Biden and Harris weren’t marking the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack as Trump did at Arlington National Cemetery, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Trump had been personally invited by the family members and he called it one way to honor the fallen.

“Another way is to continue to work,” Kirby said. “Maybe not with a lot of fanfare, maybe not with a lot of public attention, maybe not with TV cameras, but to work with might and main every single day to make sure that the families of the fallen and of those who were injured and wounded, not just at Abbey Gate, but over the course of the 20-some odd years that we were in Afghanistan, have the support that they need.”

Also Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced that Congress will posthumously honor the 13 service members by presenting their families with the Congressional Gold Medal next month. It's the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow.

Under Trump, the United States signed a peace agreement with the Taliban that was aimed at ending America’s longest war and bringing U.S. troops home. Biden later pointed to that agreement as he sought to deflect blame for the Taliban overrunning Afghanistan, saying it bound him to withdraw troops and set the stage for the chaos that engulfed the country.

A Biden administration review of the withdrawal acknowledged that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but attributed the delays to the Afghan government and military, and to U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The top two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation said the administration inadequately planned for the withdrawal. The nation’s top-ranking military officer at the time, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, told lawmakers earlier this year he had urged Biden to keep a residual force of 2,500 forces to give backup. Instead, Biden decided to keep a much smaller force of 650 that would be limited to securing the U.S. embassy.

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Attendees listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Misty Fuoco, left, sister of Nicole Gee, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place a wreath in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bill Barnett, left, grandfather of Darin Taylor Hoover, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place their hands over their heart after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in honor of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bob Quackenbush, top left, deputy chief of staff for Arlington National Cemetery, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bill Barnett, left, grandfather of Darin Taylor Hoover, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in honor of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Misty Fuoco, left, sister of Nicole Gee, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place their hands over their heart after placing a wreath in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Marlon Bateman, left, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas, second from left, former Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, center, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in honor of the 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Marlon Bateman, left, former U.S. Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas, former U.S. Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, center front, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place their hands over their heart after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in honor of the 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Former U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in honor of the 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Taliban fighters carry dummy yellow canisters intended to represent homemade explosives, as they celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, southwestern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq)

Taliban fighters carry rocket launchers as they celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, southwestern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq)

Afghans attend a ceremony to celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, in Bagram Air Base in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Russian authorities accused six British diplomats of spying and said they would be expelled, as tensions between Moscow and the West grow during an intensified push by Ukraine to loosen restrictions on using weapons provided by the U.S. and Britain to strike Russia.

Russia’s Federal Security Service said in an online statement Friday that a decision was made to withdraw their accreditations, and Russian state TV quoted an official from the security service known as the FSB as saying they would be expelled.

The move comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks with President Joe Biden that will include Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia.

Starmer said on his way to the U.S. that Britain does not “seek any conflict with Russia.” “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,” he told reporters.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defense — we’re providing training capability, as you know. But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia — that’s not our intention in the slightest,” he said.

The FSB said it received documents indicating that the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K. Foreign Office “whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,” and that they were involved in “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities.”

Based on these documents and “in response to numerous unfriendly steps by London,” the Russian Foreign Ministry withdrew the accreditation of the diplomats, the FSB said, without identifying them. It warned that if other diplomats are found to be carrying out “similar actions,” the agency “will demand early termination of their missions” to Russia.

Russian state TV said in a report that the six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups that have been declared “foreign agents” — a label the Russian authorities have actively used against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin.

The British Embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from Britain's Foreign Office.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in an online statement that “We fully agree with the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB. The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna Conventions." She said the diplomats were carrying out “subversive actions aimed at causing harm to our people.”

Expulsions of diplomats — both Western diplomats working in Russia and Russian diplomats working in Western countries — have become increasingly common since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian news outlet RBC counted last year that Western countries and Japan expelled a total 670 Russian diplomats between the beginning of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow expelled 346 diplomats in response. According to RBC, it was more than in the previous 20 years combined.

In May the U.K. expelled Russia’s defense attaché in London, alleging he was an undeclared intelligence officer, and closed several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it said were being used for spying. About a week later, Russia reciprocated and expelled Britain’s defense attaché.

FILE - The Kremlin and embankment of the Moscow River are seen during sunset in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, March, 28, 2020. (AP Photo, File)

A view of the British Embassy building, centre, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, with the Russian Foreign Ministry building in the right. (AP Photo)

A view of the British Embassy building in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo)

FILE - A view of Lubyanskaya Square with the historical Federal Security Service (FSB, Soviet KGB successor) building, left, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo, File)

Boats float past the British Embassy building in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo)

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier stands next to a damaged Ukrainian military vehicle in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)

A view of the British Embassy building in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo)

A boats floats past the British Embassy building, centre, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, with the Russian Foreign Ministry building in the right. (AP Photo)

FILE - The British Embassy building, center, with the Russian Foreign Ministry building, second right, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

FILE - Birds fly with the British Embassy building at center in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)