The first U.S. troops deployed after the Sept. 11 attacks are grappling with radiation exposure that the government has yet to officially recognize 23 years later. These troops represent a final group of 9/11 service members that comedian Jon Stewart, a staunch advocate for first responders, can’t abandon.
In early October 2001, special operations forces were sent to a former Soviet base in Uzbekistan, where they initiated the first missions against the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the secret horseback operation depicted in the movie “12 Strong.” Over the next four years, more than 15,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2.
Troops discovered clumps of yellow powder near bunkers where Soviet troops had stored missiles. Tests revealed it was radioactive uranium, according to a declassified November 2001 Defense Department assessment.
Since then, thousands of K2 veterans have reported cancers, kidney problems, and other medical conditions linked to radiation exposure. However, exposure from K2 is not covered under the PACT Act, a major veterans aid bill that President Joe Biden signed in 2022.
“K2 veterans were the tip of the spear. They were the first group deployed in the war on terror, and they are still on a lazy Susan of bureaucratic nonsense, keeping them from getting the benefits and health care that they earned,” Stewart said in an interview this week.
Stewart is urging the Biden administration to ensure K2 veterans are fully covered. He joined a meeting Monday between veterans and the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for health affairs.
A 2001 Army health team site assessment found uranium littered around K2 in “pellets, discrete pockets of yellow residue, and finely distributed throughout the soil.” The now-declassified report stated, “Testing to date implies that the uranium is not depleted uranium but rather an enriched product.”
Despite these records, the Defense Department has not officially identified the base as a location where radiation exposure occurred. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not added it to the presumptive conditions troops experienced there. The White House has said it remains a priority for Biden but defers to the agencies, which claim more information is needed.
“President Biden believes veterans harmed by toxic exposures while they were stationed at K2 should have access to the benefits they earned and deserve,” said White House spokesperson Kelly Scully.
The Pentagon also stated it “remains committed to thoroughly reviewing all information related to K2” and ensuring the health and safety of service members and veterans remains a top priority. VA spokesman Terrence Hayes noted that since the PACT Act’s passage, nearly 12,000 K2 veterans have been approved for at least one service-related condition and received an average annual payment of $30,871 to compensate for their disabilities.
However, many K2 veterans have died waiting for their radiation-related illness claims to be recognized, and further studies prolong the process, said Matt Erpelding, leader of the K2 veterans group Stronghold Freedom Foundation. “It needs to get done now,” urged Erpelding, who deployed to K2 as a C-130 pilot in December 2001.
Based on declassified K2 data, radiation levels documented at K2 in 2001 were as much as 40,000 times higher than naturally occurring uranium levels, said Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear fusion specialist and president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. Radiation exposure from uranium can damage kidneys, increase the risk of bone cancer, and affect pregnancies, among other harmful effects.
The VA lacks statistics on how many of the over 15,000 troops deployed at K2 fell ill. The veterans grassroots organization has contacted about 5,000 of them, and more than 1,500 reported serious medical conditions, including cancers, kidney and bone problems, as well as reproductive issues and birth defects.
U.S. forces left the base in 2005. Since then, Uzbekistan has taken on a greater role in regional counterterrorism efforts, particularly after the U.S. lost its foothold in Afghanistan following the 2021 withdrawal. Just over a dozen U.S. troops have been regularly deployed to Uzbekistan over the past few years. Uzbek Gen. Maj. Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov met with Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Pentagon on Monday to discuss shared efforts to defeat the Islamic State group and “Uzbekistan’s desire to develop a strategic partnership with the U.S.”
K2 was not mentioned during the meeting, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Veterans remain puzzled by the government’s refusal to officially acknowledge the radiation exposure, especially since it’s recorded in agency documents. “They’re clearly weirdly sensitive about this place,” Stewart remarked.
Congress obtained detailed environmental assessments of the base and extensive data from the Pentagon, making it public four years ago in a bipartisan effort to get the K2 veterans’ toxic exposure recognized. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Mark Green recently announced new legislation to that end.
In response to queries, officials from the White House, VA, and Defense Department highlighted other aspects of expanded care for K2 veterans from the PACT Act and additional care announced by the VA last month. When it comes to radiation exposure, the government refers to a Johns Hopkins study on depleted uranium’s impact on veterans, slated for completion in 2031, the 30th anniversary of the attacks.
“Because DOD, and by extension the VA, do not acknowledge it was there, it is a sticking point for every K2 bill or rule and was left out of the PACT Act because it was nonnegotiable,” K2 veteran Mark Jackson said.
