US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has upgraded the awards for three Marines who acted during the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, arguing that their original recommendations had been improperly reduced. The announcement, made on the fifth anniversary of the attack, seeks to recognise conduct that helped protect and treat casualties during one of the deadliest events of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Gunnery Sgt Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl Jordan Houston received Bronze Star Medals with “V” devices, while Cpl Michael Gretzon received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a “V” device. The ISIS-K suicide attack on 26 August 2021 killed 13 US service members; a separate Pentagon review panel is continuing to investigate the attack and withdrawal, and says it recently found previously undisclosed classified material.