The Gold Star mother of a solider killed by Taliban fighters in 2009 blasted the Biden administration for praising the 'terrorists' now in charge of Afghanistan for being 'businesslike and professional.'
A Qatar Airways flight carrying about 150 U.S. citizens landed safely in Qatar on Thursday afternoon marking the first large group of Americans to leave to country since President Joe Biden's August 31st deadline.
The White House released a statement announcing the plane's safe arrival in Qatar and lauded the Taliban's cooperation.
'The Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights from HKIA. They have shown flexibility, and they have been businesslike and professional in our dealings with them in this effort.
'This is a positive first step,' the statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said.
Jill Stephenson's (pictured left) blasts the Biden administration after they praised the Taliban for being 'businesslike and professional.' Her only son Army Ranger Cpl. Ben Kopp (pictured right) was killed by the Taliban in 2009
Cpl. Ben Kopp, 21, was injured when Taliban fighters attacked his unit on July 10, 2009. He was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington, D.C. where he was taken off life support and died eight days after sustaining his injuries
Stephenson said the White House's praise of the Taliban for being 'businesslike and professional' was 'horribly blasphemous'
While trying to instill hope, the statement from the White House was not received well by all. Gold Star mother Jill Stephenson felt that the compliment of the Taliban's civility was 'blasphemous.'
'Wow, the first word that comes to mind … was blasphemous, horribly blasphemous,' Stephenson told The New York Post. 'To call the Taliban that — it's absolutely disgusting. And it's coming from the White House.'
Stephenson's only son, 21-year-old Army Ranger Cpl. Ben Kopp, was gravely injured when Taliban fighters attacked his unit in Afghanistan on July 10, 2009. He was then flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington, D.C. where he died eight days after sustaining his injuries.
Stephenson was deeply offended by the praise of the 'terrorist' group that killed her son.
'Given the circumstance of why it's even happening in the first place, why are we even negotiating with terrorists?' she said. 'That makes me shake my head.'
'As a Gold Star mother and as a voice that represents so many families who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, and especially those of us whose loved ones took their last breath in Afghanistan, it's embarrassing. It's completely embarrassing. It's disappointing. It's disgusting. It's unbelievable.
'It's like living in the 'Twilight Zone,'' Stephenson said.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki later attempted to defend the White House's statement. She claimed that the remarks were focused on the successful extraction of the U.S. citizens from Afghanistan.
'I would note that in that statement what we were announcing was the fact that a Qatari Airlines Flight successfully landed in Qatar with American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghans on board who joined us in our fight, over the last several years,' Psaki said.
'We wanted to note that the Taliban was cooperative in facilitating the departure of these American citizens and legal permanent residents from HKIA. We promised we would get American citizens out, we promised we would get legal permanent residents out, we promised we would press the Taliban to get them out, and that's exactly what we did,' she told reporters.
Stephenson (pictured) says she copes with the loss of her son by focusing on the blessings of his life and his organ donations
As the militant group has gained power in the country, Stephenson is questioning if Kopp's sacrifice was worth it
Kopp (seen in a photograph held by his mother) vowed to become an Army Ranger at 13-years-old when the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001
Stephenson has been very vocal about her thoughts on the White House's handling of the withdrawal and evacuation of Afghanistan.
She said the the militant group's takeover of Kabul came as a gut punch. She worried that many Americans will now lose sight of the service of the nearly 2,500 members of the U.S. military killed during the 20-year conflict.
'I hope their sacrifice doesn't get forgotten,' Stephenson said. 'Here we are 20 years later, and so you do question why did we even bother?'
The Taliban triumph occurred just over 12 years after Kopp, 21, saved six fellow soldiers during a battle in southern Helmand Province in which he was fatally shot in the leg. He suffered cardiac arrest on the operating table in Afghanistan and was left brain dead.
Eight days after he was shot, Kopp was taken off life support. His heart, kidneys, liver, skin, bone and tissue were donated and helped save the lives of four people.
'It's an amazing gift,' said Judy Meikle, 69, who was the recipient of Kopp's heart. Meikle was diagnosed with congenital heart disease a few months before Kopp died.
Stephenson says she copes with the loss of her son by focusing on the blessings of his life and his organ donations.
'I believe Ben's mission was completed in the time that he was here and he would not have been able to fulfill that mission had he not been an Army Ranger, had he not deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, had things not turned out the way they did and him becoming an organ donor,' she said.
Kopp was 13 when the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and he vowed that evening to become an Army Ranger. He was eventually deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to his obituary, Kopp distinguished himself with the Army Achievement Medal with two awards, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge and the Ranger Tab. Posthumously he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, The Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart.
Taliban fighters are now controlling the entry to the airport and have seized all of the access points leading to it in Kabul. It forces NATO troops to rely on them to allow evacuees into the airport to board flights
Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There are now 'three rings' around the airport and the Taliban controls the outer ring
A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The Afghan nationals ran on board while the ramp was open and the US troops in charge decided to take off. The same planes are still being used to evacuate but only 100 or so people per flight are being boarded and it's unclear why, when thousands remain in need of rescue
The body of an Afghan man is trapped in the wheel arch of a C-17 transport plane that took off from Kabul Airport on Monday
No comments:
Post a Comment