The Biden administration revealed on Wednesday that it would award all U.S. troops involved in the August 2021 withdrawal and subsequent evacuation from Afghanistan, The Hill reported.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that, at President Joe Biden's request, troops involved in the operation or those from 10 military bases evacuating refugees would be given the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equivalent.
The Presidential Unit Citation might also be given to those present at the Hamid Karzai International Airport during a bombing that killed 173 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. troops.
"No words can properly honor the deeds we recognize with these awards. What these awards reflect — and what I hope the units who receive them will feel — is the gratitude and love of our nation," Austin stated.
"I hope these awards serve as a reminder to each and every Service member who wears them of the lives they helped save and the thanks of the nation and Department of Defense they serve so well," he added.
The White House's decision comes one year after the U.S. exited Afghanistan, which left the country to Taliban forces and resulted in the Islamic Emirate's reestablishment.
In the following evacuation, Biden saw wide-ranging criticism domestically and internationally for how his administration handled the resettlement of roughly 124,000 Afghans and U.S. nationals from Afghanistan.
"There is no good memory of the past year. I have to think twice about what to wear before stepping out to avoid a beating by the Taliban," female Kabul resident Marwa Naseem told France 24.
"It also hurts to see that girls cannot go to school, which is part of a normal life anywhere," she continued. "The Taliban is using religion just to prevent women from progressing."
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