Service members killed in Afghanistan to be honored in congressional ceremony

Washington — The 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul in 2021 will be honored posthumously Tuesday in a congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the Capitol that comes three years after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is hosting the ceremony and will be joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with family members of those killed in the attack, which took place at the Kabul airport.

President Biden has faced fierce criticism over the deadly evacuation, which Republicans are highlighting this week. And they've drawn attention to Vice President Kamala Harris' role in the withdrawal as the Democratic presidential nominee is about to take on former President Donald Trump in their first debate Tuesday night.

On Monday, Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report on the Afghanistan withdrawal that accused Mr. Biden of ignoring repeated warnings because he "prioritized politics and his personal legacy over America's national security interests." Democrats on the committee said the report was "based on cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and pre-existing biases," while pointing to former President Donald Trump's role in kickstarting the withdrawal process during his administration.

Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery with family members of the 13 service members last month, and while he was there, a campaign staffer and a cemetery official had a dispute over political activity and photos on the grounds of the national cemetery.

Some, including Harris, viewed the visit was seen as overtly political, but several Gold Star family members defended the former president in videos released after the cemetery visit. And a few family members criticized Harris in a recent Trump campaign ad, in which they thanked Trump for the attention he's paid their families.

"President Trump has called," one of the family members says during the advertisement. "President Trump shows up."