Human Rights First on the Murder of Americans and Afghans at Kabul Airport

WASHINGTON — With at least 12 Americans and many more innocent Afghans killed today in two suicide bombings outside the main entrance to Kabul’s international airport, Michael Breen, President and CEO of Human Rights First and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan shared this statement:

“We mourn today’s terrible sacrifice by the American military personnel and Afghans who were killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuations were occurring. We honor the service members of the U.S. military and Afghan allies who spent 20 years working with U.S. forces.

“These people were murdered as they worked to honor our nation’s commitment to leaving no one behind. While this is a moment of grief and deep reflection for all of us, the Biden administration must continue that critical effort.

“We must not allow the actions of a few to halt the work of protecting and evacuating our Afghan allies, human rights defenders, LGBTQ+ people, women and other at-risk communities, members of civil society and Americans.”