INTERNACIONAL
Dems’ response to ISIS leader arrest ‘disturbing,’ says father of Marine killed at Abbey Gate
The father of Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, who was killed along with 12 other American service members during the ISIS-K attack on Abbey Gate in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021, said the Democrats’ reaction, or lack thereof, to the news that one of the masterminds behind the attack had been arrested was «disturbing.»
President Donald Trump used his address to Congress Tuesday night to announce the March 2 arrest of Mohmmad Sharifullah, who the Justice Department said helped plan the ISIS-K suicide bombing at the Kabul airport as Afghans fled the Taliban takeover.
«This should not be a partisan issue whatsoever – the death of our kids,» Mark Schmitz told Fox News Digital.
TRUMP REVEALS TOP TERRORIST BEHIND ABBEY GATE ATTACK APPREHENDED, FACING ‘SWIFT SWORD OF AMERICAN JUSTICE’
Gold Star father Mark Schmitz is seeking to honor his son Jared’s memory through a foundation to house veterans known as «Freedom 13» in honor of the 13 KIA on Aug. 26, 2021. (Mark Schmitz)
The attack resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members as well as some 170 Afghan civilians.
But the news of the arrest was not met with a resounding approval across the political aisle. As Schmitz pointed out, only roughly a third of Democrats applauded the news, and none appeared to join their Republican colleagues in a standing ovation.
«You would think that every single person in that place would be standing up and applauding and cheering,» Schmitz said.
The father of the fallen Marine said the sight was «incredibly insulting as a Gold Star family.»
«This has got nothing to do with politics,» Schmitz continued. «This is our military we’re talking about, and that needs to change.»
Several family members of those slain in the chaotic withdrawal of Afghanistan took issue with President Joe Biden’s failure to mention their children killed in the line of duty while speaking from the House Chamber during any of his three addresses to Congress following the attack.
«There was no communication from the onset,» Schmitz said, reflecting on the controversial moment when the Gold Star families met Biden at Dover Air Force Base when the service members’ bodies were returned from Afghanistan.
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President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Democrats remained seated throughout the night as Republicans stood to applaud the president. (Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Biden was criticized for repeatedly checking his watch and many of the families expressed frustration with the lack of transparency that led to the chaotic withdrawal, and ultimately the death of their loved ones.
«Any time you can start to get a little bit of closure is always a good thing,» Schmitz said in reference to the most recent ISIS-K arrest. «And to find out that they got this guy is amazing. There’s many more that need to be looked at – certainly he’s not the only one.
«This is one down and many more to go, but very, very confident that we’re going to start seeing some answers,» he added.
Schmitz has chosen to honor his son and the 12 other Americans killed that day by starting a nonprofit aimed at creating «freedom camps» for veterans under a project known as «The Freedom 13.»
The goal is to develop a camp in every state, starting with Jared’s home state of Missouri, where veterans can retreat to for a safe space to heal from their time in the service or to simply be around other veterans.
A ceremony honoring the 13 service members killed in the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan is held in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Sept. 10, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Each camp will consist of at least 100 acres and 13 houses, signifying the 13 service members killed in the attack.
While Schmitz has said they will need more support to help them develop more camps for veterans, he believes that, under the Trump administration, families at least now «have allies in our corner.»
Estados Unidos pausó el intercambio de Inteligencia con Ucrania, anunció el asesor de seguridad nacional de la Casa Blanca, Mike Waltz.
«Hemos dado un paso atrás y estamos haciendo una pausa y revisando todos los aspectos de esta relación», afirma.
La medida se produce después de una ruptura diplomática tras la intensa reunión del viernes en la Oficina Oval entre el presidente de Estados Unidos y su homólogo ucraniano, Volodimir Zelenski.
Donald Trump ya había emitido una pausa en la ayuda militar a Ucrania, aunque Waltz ha sugerido que estaría dispuesto a levantar esa congelación si las conversaciones de paz avanzan.
«Ucrania está dispuesta a sentarse a la mesa de negociaciones lo antes posible para acercar una paz duradera», rezaba la carta que leyó Trump. «Nadie quiere la paz más que los ucranianos», agregaba.
El director de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, también anunció la pausa en el intercambio de Inteligencia.
«El presidente Trump tenía dudas reales sobre si el presidente Zelenski estaba comprometido con el proceso de paz», dijo Ratcliffe a Fox News.
El director de la CIA dijo que la pausa «en el frente militar y en el frente de inteligencia» es temporal, y que Estados Unidos volverá a «trabajar hombro con hombro con Ucrania».
Trump dijo el martes que Zelenski le aseguró que estaba listo para negociar el fin de la guerra con Rusia y para firmar un acuerdo para la explotación de minerales por parte de Estados Unidos en Ucrania.
El presidente ucraniano ha publicado en sus redes sociales que el episodio de la semana pasada con Trump en la Casa Blanca fue «lamentable» y que su intención es «arreglar las cosas» con el republicano, en un intento de reconducir la relación entre ambos.
Pope Francis has reportedly increased his physical therapy, despite his outlook remaining «guarded,» according to the Vatican. He underwent high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive ventilation at night during his third week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
The Vatican added that the 88-year-old pontiff’s situation remains complex, even though he is stable.
Balloons featuring Pope Francis are attached to a statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Feb. 23, 2025. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Normally, Pope Francis would lead an Ash Wednesday mass at the Vatican to start Lent, but was unable to do so this year. This morning, he participated in the rite of the blessing of the Holy Ashes, and received the Eucharist. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis read the pope’s homily aloud at Rome’s Santa Sabrina Basilica, according to the Vatican.
Pope Francis waves from his popemobile after the weekly Angelus prayers at the Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Oct. 20, 2024. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty)
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Before reading the pope’s homily, De Donatis thanked the pontiff for «the offering of his prayer.» In his homily, the pope spoke of the significance of the ashes and the act of receiving them.
«We bow our heads in order to receive the ashes as if to look at ourselves and to look within ourselves. Indeed, the ashes help to remind us that our lives are fragile and insignificant: we are dust, from dust we were created, and to dust we shall return,» the homily read, according to the Vatican.
The pope also called for a «return to God with all of our hearts» in his homily, urging Catholics to «place Him at the center of our lives.»
Candles with the pictures of Pope Francis are the laid under the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Wednesday, Feb. 19, where the pontiff has been hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)
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While in the hospital, Pope Francis spoke with Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza. This comes just days after he mentioned the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in his first written message since his hospitalization. He urged prayers «for [those] martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and Kivu.»
Fox News’ Anne Butterworth contributed to this report.
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