Abbey Gate Bombing Survivor Discusses Chaotic Evacuation and Calls for Accountability

Retired Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews spoke on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show” about the difficulties faced by U.S. Marines during the evacuation of Afghanistan. Following inadequate preparation and support, they were forced to adapt to overwhelming crowds before the Abbey Gate bombing.

Vargas-Andrews, who lost his right arm and left leg in the suicide bombing on August 26, 2021, described how Marines at Hamid Karzai International Airport improvised amid chaos. Despite leadership warnings, they had to adapt on the ground. He emphasized the dire conditions Marines faced, providing refugees with their food and water. He criticized the lack of organized refugee processing at the airport.

“Everything we were doing while we were there was like figuring it out on the go,” Vargas-Andrews mentioned. “We were lacking in the support.”

He compared the overwhelming crowd to scenes from “World War Z,” underscoring the sheer volume of people there. Vargas-Andrews criticized the lack of preparation before the evacuation, pointing to missed opportunities for better planning.

Marines were warned about potential threats, yet no proactive measures were implemented, leading to dire consequences. Vargas-Andrews refrained from blaming any single entity. He highlighted failures across multiple administrations and organizations, citing decades of poor decision-making.

He acknowledged the Department of War’s recent recognition of Marines who served during the evacuation. However, Vargas-Andrews stressed that accountability has yet to be achieved and expressed hope for future actions that address these issues.