U.S. Military Review Concludes Abbey Gate Bombing Was Unpreventable

Despite allegations of missed opportunities to stop the bomber, investigations reaffirm that the attack was not preventable without compromising the evacuation mission.

The U.S. Central Command's review determined that the Abbey Gate bombing, which killed 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghan civilians, could not have been prevented at a tactical level.
Marines at Kabul airport identified a suspect but were denied permission to engage, leading to questions about the decision-making process.
The bomber, Abdul Rahman al-Logari, was a known ISIS-K terrorist who had been released from Bagram Air Base by the Taliban.
Investigations were prompted by political pressure and claims of earlier missed opportunities to intercept the bomber.
The military used facial recognition technology and additional interviews to affirm that the suspect seen before the bombing was not al-Logari.