Kin of the 13 US troops killed in Afghanistan during President Biden’s disastrous 2021 withdrawal told The Post on Friday they were infuriated – but not surprised – by the disrespect he showed in falsely claiming at Thursday’s debate that no service members died overseas under his watch.
In one of the lowest of his numerous low points during his presidential showdown with Donald Trump, Biden seemingly forgot about the 16 troops who have died in overseas attacks over his tenure in the White House, including the 13 in Kabul on Aug. 26, 2021, and another three in Jordan just five months ago.
“The truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any this – this decade, that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world, like [Trump] did,” Biden said.
While the words shocked many across the nation, the repulsive faux pax particularly stung the hearts of the Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in the violent attacks on US troops since Biden took office in January 2021, said Mark Schmitz, whose son Marine Cpl. Jared Schmitz was among the fallen 13 in Kabul.
“My phone blew up for probably 20 minutes after that came through, and everybody was just in utter shock. And my poor kids were in the next room – let’s just say I ultimately ended up having to apologize to them for my language,” he told The Post. “It took all self restraint not to put my fist right through my TV.
“I was beyond ticked off, disrespected. That’s all we’ve ever gotten out of this president,” he added.
For Steve Nikoui, whose son Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui also died in the horrible blast, Biden’s blunder was unsurprising, given the way Biden kept glancing at his watch as the bodies of the fallen 13 were honored in a ceremony as they were brought home.
“I did see that, and I was just as shocked as anyone else, but I wasn’t surprised,” he told The Post of Biden’s televised unforgiveable blunder. “I’m glad that the rest of America is able to see what we’ve been dealing with for the last three years.”
The years since his son’s murder have not been easy for Nikoui, who made made headlines in March when he was arrested for shouting in anger at Biden over the 13 deaths during the State of the Union.
“What he did last night was he basically refused to honor the service and sacrifice of the 13 servicemen and women that were killed at the Abbey gate directly – were killed because of his incompetence – and he refuses, since that’s happened, to even recognize them,” Nikoui said.
Though some liberal commentators have claimed that Biden merely fumbled his old talking point about ending the 20-war, even the most sympathetic to his struggle with old age should find his statement hard to swallow, said Coral Briseno, who lost her son Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez in the bombing.
“I know he’s not there 100%, and it’s one thing not to accept that they were murdered by his administration,” she said. “But if he wants everybody to know that nobody died, it’s another thing.
“But then I think that in his mind, he [thinks he] did not kill those soldiers – that never happened,” she added.
Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law Nicole Gee was also among the 13 killed, said consideration of Biden’s advanced age and apparently failing mental state represent “just another excuse.
“It’s always an excuse, but the reality is that these 13 died, and many more were injured, and 180 Afghans died at that moment,” she said. “This was supposed to be a peacekeeping mission and evacuation. Our kids weren’t there at war, and he couldn’t even bring them home – couldn’t get that right.
“God forbid we end up in another war, because that’s exactly where we’re heading, and he’ll deny all that, too. He’ll deny it and place blame on somebody else again, too. That’s just what they do – they take no responsibility,” she continued of the White House administration.
Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover who died in the withdrawal, said that no matter how hard he tries, Biden will never be able to shake off the bloodstains on his hands.
“He can’t put Afghanistan in his rear-view mirror far enough. There’s no point to where he can put it off the side, sweep it under the rug,” he said, “because it keeps coming back up to haunt him.”
To boost awareness of Biden’s failures in the Afghanistan withdrawal and bring about accountability, the Gold Star parents have been working with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, whose chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) called the president’s words “a despicable lie.
“Three service members were killed in Jordan. 13 brave service members died at Abbey Gate during his deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, where he abandoned American citizens and thousands of our Afghan allies to terrorists,” he told The Post. “To this day, President Biden refuses to publicly utter the names our 13 fallen. President Biden, history will not forget your cowardice.”
