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The ceremony, led by Republican House of Representatives Speaker
Mike Johnson, came as Republicans and Democrats traded
accusations of politicizing events surrounding the deadly
withdrawal with only eight weeks before U.S. elections.
"Although we can never fully measure your loss, we can and we
must memorialize the ultimate sacrifice that was paid," Johnson
told relatives of the troops who died in the attack.
On Monday, House Republicans released a long-awaited report
blasting Democratic President Joe Biden's administration for
failures surrounding the withdrawal.
Additionally, the ceremony took place hours before the
Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris,
was to meet former Republican President Donald Trump, his
party's nominee, in their only scheduled debate during
campaigning for the Nov. 5 election.
Democrats have insisted that some blame for the messy end of the
war - less than seven months into Biden's presidency - should be
laid at the feet of Trump, who began the withdrawal process by
signing a deal with the Taliban in 2020.
Republicans have dismissed that contention as partisan politics,
saying Biden could have ignored Trump's agreement or enforced
it, accusing Biden administration officials of allowing the
Taliban to disregard its commitments and failing to be honest
with the U.S. public.
Trump has been criticized for shooting video for his campaign at
Arlington National Cemetery, where he appeared at a ceremony
honoring troops killed in the evacuation.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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