Kinzinger calls on Biden to respond to Kabul explosion

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called on President Biden to respond to the explosion at the Kabul airport on Thursday, warning that inaction could “embolden” radicals who wish to fight the U.S.

“I think if the president does not respond where he can, if the president does not follow through on the commitment even though this is going to slow up the evacuation to get every American out and the promises we have made to our Afghan partners … The view of us not responding after this attack and then fleeing from the Kabul airport I think will do a lot to embolden those that now have a easy way to go out and recruit other radicals to fight the United States of America and our partners,” Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, said on CNN.

Two explosions near the Kabul airport were confirmed on Thursday by the Pentagon. Both Afghan civilians and U.S. service members have been confirmed as casualties in the explosions but a firm number of deaths has not been disclosed.

A source confirmed to The Hill that at least one of the explosions was the result of a suicide bombing.

“I think this needs to be a reminder to Americans that when it comes to war, it’s not just one side that can decide if they want that war to end. One person, one side can determine they want it to continue,” Kinzinger told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

“The fact is there are people that, no matter how much we want to go home, they want to kill us and we either fight them there, or we’ll fight them here,” he added.

The Illinois representative called on the administration to “double down” on its commitments to evacuate U.S. citizens and allies as well as maintaining intelligence on the ground to better anticipate threats in Afghanistan.