Members of Indiana’s delegation reacted to the deadly terrorist bombings on Americans and Afghan citizens outside of the airport in Kabul, on Thursday, Aug. 26.

Third District Representative Jim Banks, member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement:

“As a veteran who served in Afghanistan, my heart breaks for the families of the American servicemembers and the Afghan people who are learning this morning that their loved ones have been harmed or killed in a terrorist attack. My wife Amanda and I are praying and grieving with them. The responsibility for this tragedy rests squarely on the shoulders of Joe Biden. His incompetence means American blood has been shed. This was avoidable and is unforgivable!”

Second District Representative Jackie Walorkis released a statement regarding the deteriorating situation hours before the attacks, calling for the resignation of President Biden’s national security team:

“Under President Biden’s leadership, thousands of Americans have been stranded behind enemy lines while the administration is inviting terrorists to call the shots and dictate the terms of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.

This entire disaster has been a national security nightmare and a global embarrassment. We must hold the individuals responsible for this botched withdrawal accountable for the danger and chaos that they have needlessly created in their haste to meet the Taliban’s August 31 deadline. During this process, they have abandoned vulnerable Afghan allies – as well as U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons that now are in the hands of brutal terrorists.

Today I am calling for the immediate resignation of President Biden’s national security team, including Secretary of State Blinken, National Security Adviser Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley. The American people – and especially the courageous veterans of the War on Terror – expect and deserve better.”

U.S. Senator Todd Young’s statement:

“My heart goes out to those Marines and service members who made the ultimate sacrifice today and to their families who joined the ranks of other Gold Star family members. Every American patriot grieves as we witness this tragically avoidable crisis unfolding in real time. 

These brave service members were doing their absolute best to safeguard the evacuation of Americans and innocent Afghan allies. Tragically, their heroic response was hamstrung by President Joe Biden and his administration, who have failed them at every turn. The American people cannot and should not accept these errors of judgment from their Commander in Chief. 

The Biden administration had months to plan our exit from Afghanistan and to methodically implement an exit strategy. Any plan should have made allowances for worst case scenarios. They should not have been constrained by arbitrary timelines. And under no circumstances should we have rushed to pull troops out before American and allied civilians were identified and ushered to safety.

It is time for a deep accounting of what has gone wrong to ensure an operation like this never occurs again. Accountability cannot be deflected. We all deserve answers and we must receive them in short order.

Tonight, we can take a measure of comfort in the knowledge that our fallen heroes are in God’s arms. We pray for the wounded, grieving families, and the safe return of those still in harm’s way. And we pray that all of our leaders will be granted wisdom and discernment in coming days.”

U.S. Senator Mike Braun’s statement: