Simply earlier than a lethal blast killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghan civilians close to the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, a determine wearing black superior alongside a close-by canal crammed with determined civilians, a brand new Division of Protection video launched Friday confirmed.
Seconds later, ball bearings ripped by way of the folks close by, killing even U.S. troops whose torsos have been protected by physique armor. Shock waves inflicted hurt on others as much as a half a soccer discipline away, wounding one other 45 service members.
“Inside seconds of the blast, Marines skilled psychological and bodily friction,” mentioned U.S. Marine Corps Col. C.J. Douglas, one of many investigators. “Mentally, they labored by way of the uncertainty of what had simply occurred, and the likelihood that Taliban may very well be accountable. In a short time, Marines decide the Taliban are neither concerned nor threatening U.S. personnel.”
The ball bearings pierced canisters of tear fuel carried by Marines, disorienting them additional, Douglas mentioned.
The bombing close to Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport’s Abbey Gate, within the last days of the U.S. evacuation, was the deadliest assault on U.S. troops within the nation in years. Within the days and weeks that adopted, lawmakers puzzled how a bomber may have gotten so shut, whether or not Taliban have been complicit in letting the bomber by way of, and why Abbey Gate wasn’t closed sooner.
On Friday, U.S. Central Command launched its last investigation into the assault, together with a number of associated movies. The inquest concluded that this single bomber acted alone, that there have been no follow-on assaults, and that there have been no wounds from subsequent gunfire. In every case, early U.S. assessments of the assault had concluded the other..
It additionally revealed that British, U.S., and Taliban representatives had mentioned closing Abbey Gate at a gathering simply 36 minutes earlier than the blast.
The gate was left open as a result of there have been nonetheless folks outdoors the gate whom U.S. and coalition forces have been making an attempt to get into the airport.
The realm was full of Afghans making an attempt to get by way of and Marines who have been conducting physique screenings on every particular person allowed in.
Only a day earlier than, a Marine had been pulled into the gang when one of many Afghans grabbed the muzzle of his gun, in keeping with one other video CENTCOM launched Friday. That incident resulted in additional troops—however no more limitations—being despatched to bolster the wall, which meant extra service members have been uncovered to the blast.
“A part of the rationale that there have been no further limitations or constraints needed to do with the truth that they have been actively pulling potential evacuees from the gang, which included Americans and others. So, once more, they needed to have entry to the gang, and so they needed to have shut private contact with people who they have been making an attempt to maneuver,” Curtis mentioned.
Investigators concluded that the bomber probably used one of many again alleys and sewage canal paths to get to the gate and bypass Taliban checkpoints. After the Taliban started limiting who may get by way of its checkpoints, Afghans started discovering smaller cut-throughs to get into the advanced.
On Friday, investigators have been requested whether or not the Taliban knew at that assembly {that a} bomber was on the best way.
“We have no proof for the course of our investigation that leads us to consider that the Taliban knew about this assault,” mentioned Military Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis, one of many lead investigators.