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Gran Anguar The decline of the West and the end of the 'pax americana' dream
Today was one of the hardest Sundays for Joe Biden since he assumed the Presidency of the United States. He and his wife, the first lady
Jill Biden
,
attended
the solemn transfer of the 13 soldiers killed in the double attack at the Kabul airport last Thursday from the Dover military base, in Delaware. Earlier, both met with the families of the victims, severely hit by explosions in which more than 170 people lost their lives in the Afghan capital.
It was many minutes of silence on a gray, windy day. The hand on the chest next to the authorities - including the Secretary of Defense,
Lloyd Austin
- and the sustained military salute. Absolute retreat in the brief walk of the six soldiers carrying the coffin of each deceased comrade to a van. And from there to its final destination in various parts of the country, from California to Texas through Missouri, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming and Tennessee.
An overwhelming act.
"It is part of a process. It is a welcoming ceremony for the fallen soldiers, a devastating day," said
Mark Hertling
, a retired lieutenant general of the US Army, in an interview with CNN. Biden, who did not speak during the transfer, said in a statement that "the 13 service members we lost were
heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service
of our highest American ideals, while saving the lives of others." He credited "his courage and selflessness" with having been able to get "more than 117,000 people at risk" out of Kabul.
Of the 13 deceased members, 11 were Marines, one was an Army soldier and another belonged to the Navy.
The youngest was 20 years old and the oldest, 31
. Still fresh, the image posted on Instagram by 23-year-old Marine
Nicole Gee
holding a baby in her arms at the Kabul airport. "I love my job," wrote the young sergeant.
Hunter López
, a 22-year-old soldier from Indio, California, managed to share his contribution to the cause with his parents before losing his life. He carried an Afghan boy for several kilometers to safety during the evacuation process.
It is the first time that Biden has to face such an act as president, although he already knows what it is like to do so as vice president under
Barack Obama
. Once the transfer in Delaware was completed, the president returned to the White House to monitor the situation in Kabul, where there was a US drone attack on a suicide bomber following the warning from Biden himself.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State,
Anthony Blinken
, said this Sunday that it is unlikely that the US will keep diplomats in Kabul once the military contingent leaves next Tuesday, which would mean putting an end to 20 years of presence in the Asian country. It is about the closure - it is not known whether temporary or permanent - of
one of the largest American embassies in the world.
Until a few days ago, Biden's intentions in this regard were unclear. Blinken indicated that the US would continue to maintain "the commitment to continue helping people who want to leave Afghanistan and who have not left by September 1," he said.
"There is no deadline for that effort
. And we have ways, mechanisms to help facilitate the ongoing departure of the people from Afghanistan if they decide to leave."
The next step could be to open a diplomatic mission in a nearby country as part of a
supporting infrastructure to help future refugees
if the Taliban remain in power.
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have sounded like possible options.
Also Qatar, home to a large US military base and where thousands of refugees have been arriving from Kabul.
It continues to be a setback for Washington.
US troops retaken the embassy in December 2001 during the invasion of the country.
It had been closed since 1989 after the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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