Sen. Lindsey Graham fired off a series of statements Thursday saying that the U.S. military must “reestablish” its presence in Bagram following twin explosions in Kabul that led to dozens of casualties.
Graham argued retaking the Bagram base, which the United States left in July and was eventually captured by Taliban forces, would offer a second transit hub through which to evacuate those fleeing Afghanistan.
“This despicable terrorist attack against innocent civilians at the Kabul airport, which injured American Marines, is a reminder of the depravity the world faces from Afghanistan,” Graham began in a series of posts. “I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet.”
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Graham called the abandonment of Bagram “the biggest mistake” of the Afghanistan withdrawal — a crisis that threatens to leave thousands of U.S. citizens and allies stranded in the increasingly dangerous country.
“We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies,” he continued. “The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.”
The South Carolina Republican called the lack of U.S. military presence in Bagram “a problem of will” instead of a logistical or resource problem. He added that while a recapture of Bagram would pose risks to military personnel, he believes soldiers would “gladly accept the risk” in order to “restore our honor as a nation and save lives.”
“I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,” he added.
Graham’s comments about evacuating the Bagram base echo previous evaluations offered by former President Donald Trump, who condemned the decision to leave the base prior to Thursday’s attacks.
“We should have sent the people out very safely, and we would have had Bagram open. That was always going to be — we should have kept Bagram because Bagram is between China. It has total access to China, Iran, and Afghanistan. And I guess they didn’t realize that they abandoned it,” Trump said on a podcast Tuesday.
The city of Bagram, an area U.S. armed forces occupied with an air base for decades, is formerly home to the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
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On Thursday, two explosions near Kabul airport were confirmed by the Pentagon, raising further questions about the airport’s security as thousands attempt to flee. The first blast was perpetrated by a suicide bomber improvised explosive device, or “complex SBIED attack,” and U.S. officials said the attack was “definitely believed to be” carried out by terror group ISIS-K. A second explosion occurred outside the Baron Hotel near the Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed at 10:57 a.m. EDT.
The Pentagon reported both civilian and U.S. personnel casualties following the blasts. Dozens of people were killed, with 11 U.S. Marines and one Navy medic among the dead, according to multiple reports.
