The brother of a U.S. Marine who died when the military left Afghanistan last year is said to have killed himself at his brother’s recent memorial service.
Dakota Halverson, 28, died on August 9. He was the older brother of Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California, one of the 13 service men killed on August 26, 2021, by a suicide bomber outside the Kabul airport.
“The older brother of one of the 13 KIA in Kabul recently killed himself at his little brother’s memorial,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) tweeted on Saturday.
“Please pray for his family. There MUST be accountability for this continued carnage,” he added.
Additionally, the congressman endorsed a GoFundMe account created to gather money for Halverson’s burial costs.
“Dakota Halverson was a loving son, brother and friend. Losing his brother nearly one year ago has proven too difficult to bear,” the description reads.
“Any donations for his burial and services would be greatly appreciated as he wanted to be buried next to his brother Kareem,” their mother, Shana Chappell, added. “His family and I want to honor his wishes.”
By Sunday, more than $22,000 had been collected in donations.
Chappell has criticised the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan with vehemence. She posted an invitation on Facebook for former President Donald Trump to attend the burial after her Marine son passed away.
“I would love if somehow my President (you Mr. Trump) could be present as i lay my Beautiful baby boy Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui to rest.”
“It would be such an honor to meet the real President of the United States of America, President Trump,” she continued. “I love you and America loves you.”
Following the Kabul explosion, the Marine’s father, Steve Nikoui, spoke in an interview about his lost son.
“He really loved that [Marine Corps] family,” Nikoui’s father said of his son, according to the Daily Beast. “He was devoted — he was going to make a career out of this, and he wanted to go. No hesitation for him to be called to duty.”
When President Joe Biden failed to mention the Fallen 13 at his State of the Union address to Americans in March, the Kabul bombing came into focus once more.
Biden received harsh criticism for the matter from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“To the 13 American families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan in August, you deserved to be recognized by the President tonight,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “Americans remember your sacrifice, and we are forever indebted to you.”