Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport
Aug. 26, 2021

On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today.

Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others.

We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.

But we will not be dissuaded from the task at hand.

To do anything less — especially now — would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan.