General McKenzie said that conclusion was based on eyewitness testimony, medical examiners’ findings and video footage from an MQ-9 drone that flew overhead minutes after the blast. Military investigators later acknowledged that they did not speak to any Afghans because U.S. troops had left the country by the time their inquiry started.
General McKenzie acknowledged that the report contradicted commanders’ initial assessments, noting that “ball bearings caused wounds that looked like gunshots.” He added that “the battlefield is a confusing and contradictory place, and it gets more confusing the closer you are to the actual act.”
The investigation also found that military leaders on the ground took appropriate measures to protect their forces throughout the operation at Abbey Gate, and that the medical services available saved every life they possibly could have.
The Abbey Gate bombing changed the complexion of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, sparking a tragic chain of events that ended with a botched American reprisal strike that killed 10 innocent people, including seven children.
The suicide bombing capped 20 years of war. Thirteen flag-draped coffins were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a succession of funerals were held across the country for U.S. service members, most of them under the age of 25.