Davis Statement on American Troops Killed in Afghanistan

TAYLORVILLE - U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) released the following statement after American Servicemembers were killed in terrorist bombings at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan:

“May God bless our troops who made the ultimate sacrifice today while working to save American lives. My heart breaks for them and their families. From a grateful Nation, your sacrifice will never be forgotten. My family and I are praying for all of those who have lost their lives and those who are still in harm’s way in Afghanistan.

“This situation was completely avoidable. Regardless of the decision to withdraw, the way in which President Biden has conducted this withdrawal has been an absolute disaster. The deaths of our troops and Afghan civilians are a direct consequence of the President’s botched, rushed withdrawal. His attempts to meet an arbitrary, political deadline has cost American lives.

“The President, our Commander in Chief, has a moral responsibility to do everything in his power to get every last American citizen and ally out of Afghanistan safely and as soon as possible. He is not meeting the moment. We must stop depending on the Taliban to support our withdrawal. We know they can’t be trusted to protect American lives. We must make clear to the Taliban that we will stay until every American citizen and ally is safe and out of the country.

“The terrorists who perpetrated these heinous attacks in Kabul today must be brought to justice. The President must not hesitate to use the full weight of the American military to fight back against the rise of ISIS and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan. We absolutely cannot allow them to re-establish a foothold in Afghanistan to plot terrorists attacks against our country.”