GOP Rep. Ken Calvert said on Tuesday that an ISIS-K terrorist was released from a U.S. airbase before killing 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians in a terror attack on Kabul’s airport in August.
Calvert put out a statement claiming that U.S. national security officials have confirmed to him that Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri was locked up at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, was set free during the U.S. withdrawal, and went on to detonate a suicide bomb outside of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“National security officials have confirmed to Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) that the ISIS-K bomber responsible for the August 26, 2021 terror attack at Kabul airport was carried out by an individual who was released from the Bagram prison shortly after the Taliban seized control of the facility on August 15, 2021. The U.S. military abruptly abandoned the facility in July of 2021,” Calvert’s office said in a press release.
Calvert said in a statement:
U.S. national security officials have now confirmed to me the reports that the August 26th Kabul bomber was a known ISIS-K terrorist that was previously detained at the Bagram prison and was released along with thousands of others just days before the deadly attack.
President Biden’s disastrous handling of our withdrawal from Afghanistan led to a series of events that culminated with the tragic loss of life on August 26th outside of the Kabul airport. Thirteen Americans, including one of my constituents, were killed because of the poor judgement and execution of our troop withdrawal. The Biden Administration needs to explain why these prisoners were not transferred and secured at another location. Those responsible for these grave errors not only put our brave service members in harm’s way but have now – by our military’s own admission – placed Americans in greater danger than they were before.
The Taliban took over Bagram Air Base in August after the U.S. turned it over to Afghan security forces the month prior. The Taliban reportedly released “thousands” of prisoners, many considered to be “high-value.” As The Daily Wire reported at the time:
The Taliban took control of Bagram Air Base on Sunday, a former American airbase that the U.S turned over to the Afghanistan government last month.
The Taliban have reportedly released thousands of prisoners that were held at Bagram, including members of al Qaeda, the terror group that carried out the 9-11 attacks and prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Bagram was under control of the U.S. military for roughly two decades before leaving it in control of the Afghan military in July as the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan.
“The Taliban claims it overran Bagram Air Base and freed prisoners. Many high-value detainees were located there, including members of Al Qaeda. This will reverberate for years to come,” said Bill Roggio, Long War Journal editor, and terror analyst.
U.S. and Afghan officials confirmed reports of the Taliban takeover at Bagram.
“Senior US official tells @cbsnews Bagram has fallen w/prisoners released,” CBS senior investigative reporter Catherine Herridge said. “NOTE: Historically these prison releases have been catastrophic, strengthening al Qaeda + associated groups + touted in propaganda as major victories.”