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Utahns in Congress, governor react to explosions, 13 US deaths in Afghanistan

Aug 26, 2021, 2:32 PM | Updated: 5:35 pm

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2...

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

(AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s congressional delegation responded to explosions and deaths of 13 US service members near the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, with concern for their families and with questions about the conditions and progress of the US plan to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

The Pentagon confirmed the attack and 12 deaths of US service members.


 

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah

Rep. Chris Stewart, a former Air Force pilot and a member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the airport in Kabul must be secured, that all Americans and allies must be safely evacuated, and that these tasks must be done “by any means necessary.”

 

Sen. Mitt Romney

Sen. Mitt Romney, who sits on the Committee on Foreign Relations as well as the Committee on Homeland Security, focused mostly on the loss of US service members and innocent Afghans in his comments after the deadly blast Thursday.  In recent days, Sen. Romney has been critical of the US plan to evacuate from Afghanistan, calling the Biden administration’s efforts “messy.”


 

Sen. Mike Lee

After the blast at the airport in Kabul, Utah Sen. Mike Lee focused on the military members who had been killed and wounded. He praised them, along with US allies in Afghanistan, for helping the United States in a “fight against evil.” In recent days Lee has criticized President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it a “historic failure.”


 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox

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Utahns in Congress, governor react to explosions, 13 US deaths in Afghanistan