US troops involved in Afghanistan withdrawal to receive awards

The 1000’s of U.S. troops concerned in final 12 months’s withdrawal and evacuation from Afghanistan will probably be awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equal, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced Wednesday.  

The choice, made at President Biden’s route, means all items concerned within the retrograde operation from Afghanistan — in addition to these from 10 army installations that later housed greater than 80,000 Afghan evacuees — will probably be awarded.  

Austin can even direct an expedited evaluation of all items current on the evacuation at Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport to decide whether or not the Presidential Unit Quotation, “or acceptable particular person awards,” are additionally vital, Austin stated in an announcement. 

“No phrases can correctly honor the deeds we acknowledge with these awards. What these awards mirror — and what I hope the items who obtain them will really feel — is the gratitude and love of our nation,” Austin stated. 

The announcement comes one 12 months after America’s withdrawal from Kabul ended on Aug. 30, 2021.  

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, the U.S. army and its allies flew about 124,000 Afghans and People in a foreign country. 

The trouble didn’t go easily, with 13 U.S. service members and at the very least 170 Afghans killed in a suicide bombing on the airport, an assault believed to have been carried out by the Afghanistan department of the Islamic State. 

Hundreds of Afghans and American civilians hoping escape Taliban rule have been additionally left behind.   

On Tuesday, Austin acknowledged that America’s work “isn’t carried out” within the nation, and expressed “profound gratitude” to all who served in Afghanistan for the prior 20 years. 

Wednesday’s message, in the meantime, sought to thank these concerned within the remaining days of the conflict and its aftermath. 

“No different army might have protected so many lives underneath such difficult circumstances in such a brief period of time — not simply due to our airlift or our logistics capabilities, however most of all due to the immense compassion, ability, and dedication of American Service members,” Austin stated.