The US servicemen who died in the attack on Kabul airport
As thousands of people sought a way out of Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, scores of them were killed in a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday.
The devastating attack by Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K which killed between 79 and 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel – most of them Marines.
None of the Afghans who were killed have been identified, however, names have started to emerge of the US troops who died as their families and loved ones pay tribute.
Rylee McCollum
US Marine Rylee McCollum seen here in Camp Pendleton North, California
The 20-year-old was a Marine from Bondurant, Wyoming, whose wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, according to his sister Cheyenne McCollum.
“He was so excited to be a dad, and he was going to be a great dad,” she said, adding that he had wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach after his service.
“We want to make sure that people know that these are the kids that are sacrificing themselves, and he’s got a family who loves him and a wife who loves him and a baby that he’ll never get to meet.”
Another sister, Roice McCollum, told the Casper Star Tribune that her brother was on his first deployment.
Kareem Mae’Lee Grant Nikoui
The Lance Corporal, 20, is survived by his parents and three siblings, who were described by family friend Paul Arreola as “heartbroken”.
Mr Arreola said Mr Nikoui was an “amazing young man” who had always wanted to be a Marine, adding: “He loved this country and everything we stand for. It’s just so hard to know that we’ve lost him.”
Mr Nikoui was in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and the Norco High School Air Force JROTC said on Facebook that he had been “one of our best Air Force JROTC cadets”.
He had sent videos to his family hours before his death of his interactions with Afghan children, telling one of them: “All right, we’re heroes now, man.”
Jared Schmitz
The 20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal grew up in St Louis and his father was told of his death when Marines came to his home in Wentzville, Missouri, in the early hours of Friday.
Mr Schmitz said: “(Being a Marine) was something he always wanted to do, and I’ve never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be.
“His life meant so much more. I’m incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man that he was very quickly growing into becoming.”
Max Soviak
Max Soviak had planned to have a career in the navy
The navy medic was described by his sister Marilyn as “my beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his own drum, annoying, charming baby brother”.
Mr Soviak, from Ohio, was remembered by his family in a statement as “a wonderful son who loved his family, his community, and was proud to serve in the US Navy”.
“He was excited about the opportunities the navy would offer him and planned to make the navy a career.
“We are incredibly proud of his service to our country.”
Taylor Hoover
The Staff Sergeant, 31, was an 11-year veteran of the Marines from Utah, with two sisters and a girlfriend in California.
His father, Darin Hoover, was told of his death when Marines came to his house in Salt Lake City on Thursday night.
Mr Hoover said of his son: “He is a hero. He gave his life protecting those that can’t protect themselves, doing what he loved – serving his country.”
He said he had heard from Marines throughout the day on Friday who had served with his son and said they were grateful to have had him as their sergeant.
“They look back on him and say that they’ve learned so much from him. One heck of a leader.
“He was the most loving, giving, understanding person you could ever meet.”
Deagan William-Tyeler Page
The Corporal, 23, was based at Camp Pendleton in California and had hoped to go to trade school and possibly become a lineman after his service ended.
Page was raised in Red Oak, Iowa, and joined the Marines after finishing high school.
He leaves behind a girlfriend, parents, step-mother and step-father, four siblings, and grandparents.
In a statement, his family said: “Daegan will always be remembered for his tough outer shell and giant heart.
“Our hearts are broken, but we are thankful for the friends and family who are surrounding us during this time. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the other Marine and Navy families whose loved ones died alongside Daegan.”
Ryan Knauss
The 23-year-old Army Staff Sergeant was a motivated man who loved his country and was looking forward to moving to Washington DC on his return from Afghanistan, his family said.
His grandfather Wayne Knauss told WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee: “He was a believer, so we will see him again in God’s heaven.”
His step-mother Linnae Knauss described him as “a super-smart, hilarious young man”.
Mr Knauss had only been in the country for a week before his death, and had previously spent nine months in Afghanistan, his grandmother told WVLT.
Hunter Lopez
US Marine Hunter Lopez seen in this undated picture posted by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
The 22-year-old worked with the sheriff’s department for three years before joining the Marines in 2017, according to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Mr Bianco said Mr Lopez planned to follow in this parents’ footsteps and become a sheriff’s deputy after his deployment.
On Facebook, he said: “I am unbelievably saddened and heartbroken for the Lopez family as they grieve over the loss of their American hero.
“Our entire department is mourning this tragic loss. The Lopez family exemplifies the meaning of service above self.”
David Lee Espinoza
The Lance Corporal, 20, was from Laredo, Texas, and his death was confirmed by Congressman Henry Cuellar.
In a statement, Mr Cuellar said Mr Espinoza “embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valour”.
“When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service.”
Mr Cuellar concluded: “The brave never die. Mr Espinoza is a hero.”
A case of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite has been detected in a person in the United States for the first time.
The parasitic flies eat cattle and other warm-blooded animals alive, with an outbreak beginning in Central America and southern Mexico late last year.
It is ultimately fatal if left untreated.
The case in the US was identified in a person from Maryland who had travelled from Guatemala.
Beth Thompson, South Dakota’s state veterinarian, told Reuters on Sunday that she was notified of the case within the
last week.
A Maryland state government official also confirmed the case.
The person was treated and prevention measures were implemented, Reuters reports.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What is screwworm?
The female screwworm fly lays eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals and once hatched, hundreds of screwworm larvae use their sharp mouths to burrow through living flesh.
It can be devastating in cattle and wildlife, and has also been known to infect humans.
Treatment is onerous, and involves removing hundreds of larvae and thoroughly disinfecting wounds. They are largely survivable if treated early enough.
The confirmed case is likely to rattle the beef and cattle futures market, which has seen record-high prices because of tight supplies.
The US typically imports more than a million cattle from Mexico each year to process into beef. The screwworm outbreak could cost Texas – the biggest cattle-producing state – $1.8bn (£1.3bn) in livestock deaths, labour costs and medication
expenses.
A view shows a calf after being sprayed with a disinfectant spray to prevent screwworm. Pic: Reuters
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set traps and sent mounted officers along the border, but it has faced criticism from some cattle producers and market analysts for not acting faster to pursue increased fly production via a sterile fly facility.
What is a sterile fly facility?
The case also comes just one week after the US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, travelled to Texas to announce plans to build a sterile fly facility there in a bid to combat the pest. Ms Rollins had pledged repeatedly to keep screwworm out of the country.
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A sterile fly facility produces a large number of male flies and sterilises them – these males are then released to mate with wild female insects, which collapses the wild population over time. This method eradicated screwworm from the US in the 1960s.
Mexico has also taken efforts to limit the spread of the pest, which can kill livestock within weeks if not treated. It had started to build a $51m sterile fly production facility.
The USDA has previously said 500 million flies would need to be released weekly to push the fly back to the Darien Gap, the stretch of rainforest between Panama and Colombia.
National Guard troops deployed to Washington DC in an effort to mitigate crime will begin carrying firearms, an official has said.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the authorisation of roughly 2,000 National Guard troops to begin carrying weapons.
The majority of the guard members will carry M17 pistols, their service-issued weapons, while a small number will be armed with M4 rifles, reports Sky’s US partner organisation, NBC News.
The troops are authorised to use their weapons for self-protection.
A White House official told NBC News that despite being armed, as of Saturday night, the National Guard troops in DC are not making arrests, and will continue to work on protecting federal assets.
The troops were largely deployed from outside the state and were framed by President Trump as a concerted effort to tackle crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital.
Such deployments are not common, and are typically used in response natural disasters or civil unrest.
Democrats have bashed the deployment as partisan in nature, accusing Mr Trump of trying to exert his presidential authority through scare tactics and said his primary targets have been cities with black leadership.
Armed members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol outside of Union Station. Pic: AP
Pentagon plans to deploy US army to Chicago
Yesterday it was reported that the Pentagon was drafting plans to deploy the US army in Chicago, the largest city in the state.
The governor of Illinois then accused Mr Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis” and “abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families”.
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Officials familiar with the proposals told the Washington Post that several options were being weighed up by the US defence department, including mobilising thousands of National Guard troops in Chicago as early as September.
Mr Trump had told reporters on Friday that “Chicago is a mess”, before attacking the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, and hinting “we’ll straighten that one out probably next”.
The governor of Illinois has accused Donald Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis” over reports the US president was considering deploying the military in the state.
US newspaper The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Pentagon was drafting plans to deploy the US army in Chicago, the state capital.
It comes as part of Mr Trump’s crackdown on crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration in mainly Democrat-run cities. He recently deployed the National Guard in Washington DC.
In a statement responding to the report, governor JB Pritzker said Illinois had “received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention”.
He added: “The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority.
“There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalising the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders.”
The governor then said: “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicise Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.
“We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”
Officials familiar with the proposals told the Post that several options were being weighed up by the US defence department, including mobilising thousands of National Guard troops in Chicago as early as September.
The Pentagon said it would not comment on planned operations, adding: “The department is a planning organisation and is continuously working with other agency partners on plans to protect federal assets and personnel.”
People protest against President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington DC. Pic: AP
Mr Trump, however, told reporters on Friday that “Chicago is a mess,” before attacking the city’s mayor Brandon Johnson and hinting “we’ll straighten that one out probably next”.
Mr Johnson has not yet commented on Saturday’s reports, but said on Friday that the president’s approach to tackling crime has been “uncoordinated, uncalled for and unsound”.
“There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them,” he added.
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It comes after around 800 National Guard troops were deployed in Washington DC earlier this month, despite the US capital’s mayor revealing crime in the capital was at its “lowest level in 30 years”.
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What’s it like having the army on DC’s streets?
According to preliminary figures from Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police, violent crime is down 26% in 2025 – after dropping 35% in 2024 compared with 2023.
In June Mr Trump ordered 700 US Army marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in California, during protests over mass immigration raids.
The deployment came against the wishes of state governor Gavin Newsom, who said: “The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate.
“That is not the way any civilised country behaves.”
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