At least 2 Marines killed in the Kabul airport bombing attack came from Camp Pendleton

At slightest 2 Camp Pendleton Marines are among 13 work members killed successful 2 termination weaponry attacks Thursday, Aug. 26, connected crowds struggling to get done to the airdrome successful Kabul, Afghanistan arsenic thousands of hopeless radical were fleeing the Taliban earlier the planned withdrawal of the United States connected Aug.31.

The Marines were portion of a peculiar situation effect squad sent to supply information and assistance State Department officials process hundreds of radical astatine the gates of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. They had been connected deployment to the Middle East wherever they were grooming with Syrian and Iraq troops and different U.S. partners earlier they were pulled successful to unafraid the airport.

A Navy medic and 1 Army worker were besides killed successful the attacks, Pentagon officials confirmed. Eighteen different wounded work members were evacuated from Afghanistan connected specially equipped C-17s that person surgical units connected board. The injured are present successful the infirmary astatine a subject installation successful Germany.

About 180 Afghans were killed successful the 2 explosions.

Pentagon officials confirmed the bombing arsenic the azygous deadliest force onslaught against U.S. forces successful Afghanistan since August 2011, erstwhile militants changeable down a Chinook helicopter, sidesplitting 30 U.S. troops connected board.

The attacks, blamed connected Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State radical – an force of some the Taliban and the U.S. – correspond 1 of the deadliest days successful the two-decade war, Pentagon officials said Friday during a briefing.

Military officials person not released the names of the those who died, but among those successful media reports who were from Southern California is Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, of Norco. He was a postgraduate of Norco High, Class of 2019, wherever helium had been progressive successful the Air Force JROTC program.

“Kareem loved what helium was doing, helium ever wanted to beryllium a Marine,” Steve Nikoui, the Marine’s father, told the Daily Beast.

Another Southern California Marine was Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines astatine Camp Pendleton.

Lopez, a nonmigratory of the Coachella Valley, was the lad of Riverside County lawman sheriff and Riverside Sheriff’s Association Board Secretary Alicia Lopez and Riverside County Sheriffs’ Capt. Herman Lopez, the main of the La Quinta Police Department, according to a connection issued by the national Friday, Aug. 27.

“Before joining the Marine Corps, Hunter proudly served successful our Sheriff’s Explorer Program,” Sheriff Chad Bianco said successful a statement. “Our full section is mourning this tragic loss. The Lopez household exemplifies the meaning of Service Above Self.”

Also killed was Navy Corpsman Max Soviak, of Berlin Heights, Ohio. In precocious schoolhouse helium played football, track, wrestling and tennis and was successful the schoolhouse band, according to Thomas Roth, superintendent of Edison Local School District.

In a station connected Instagram, his sister, Marilyn Soviak, said: “My beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his ain drum, annoying, charming babe member was killed yesterday helping to prevention lives and present helium is gone and my household volition ne'er beryllium the same.

“There is simply a ample Maxton-sized spread that volition ne'er beryllium filled. He was conscionable a kid. We are sending kids implicit determination to die,” she said. “Kids with families that present person holes conscionable similar ours. I’m not 1 for praying, but damn could those kids implicit determination usage immoderate close now. My bosom is successful pieces and I don’t deliberation they’ll ever acceptable backmost close again.”

Rylee McCollum, of Wyoming, was different Marine who was killed according to a connection from Gov. Mark Gordon.

“I’m devastated to larn Wyoming mislaid 1 of our ain successful yesterday’s violent onslaught successful Kabul,” helium said.

McCollum graduated from Jackson Hole High School successful 2019, according to a connection from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. The Teton County School District said McCollum was besides a postgraduate of Summit Innovations School successful Jackson.

David Lee Espinoza, 20, was besides recognized successful a tribute by the metropolis of Laredo, Texas. City officials expressed their heartfelt condolences successful a statement: “Thank you for your work to the United States of America and Laredo. Your acts of courageousness and bravery volition ever beryllium remembered successful our community.”

About 50 members from Camp Pendleton units were the archetypal Marines to get astatine the Kabul airdrome to unafraid the perimeter.  About 1,200 from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 from Camp Lejeune successful North Carolina deployed from adjacent Navy ships. They were followed by Marines and sailors with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and elements of Combat Logistics Regiment 1, some based astatine Camp Pendleton.

Since Aug. 14, the Marines person helped with the evacuations and provided h2o and nutrient and adjacent entertaining young Afghan children arsenic they waited to get connected planes. Pentagon officials confirmed Friday that much than 180,000 radical person been evacuated. They besides said they are connected precocious alert for further violent attacks.

“It is with highly dense hearts that we learned respective Marines and different work members were killed and wounded successful the Kabul attacks today,” Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger said successful a connection Thursday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families arsenic they are notified of this devastating loss.

“These fallen heroes answered the telephone to spell into harm’s mode to bash the honorable enactment of helping others. We are arrogant of their work and profoundly saddened by their loss,” helium said.  “As we mourn, we besides support those who are inactive implicit determination protecting Americans and our Afghan partners astatine the forefront of our thoughts.  Our Marines volition proceed the mission, carrying connected our Corps’ bequest of ever lasting acceptable to conscionable the challenges of each bonzer task our Nation requires of her Marines.”