WASHINGTON (AP) — Many of the first U.S. troops who were deployed following the Sept. 11 attacks are experiencing health issues due to radiation exposure, and the government still has not officially acknowledged this, even 23 years later. These veterans, particularly a group referred to as K2 veterans, have caught the attention of comedian Jon Stewart, a well-known advocate for first responders, who feels strongly about supporting them.
In October 2001, special operations forces were sent to a site in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet military base where they initiated early military actions against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This includes a covert horseback mission that was portrayed in the film “12 Strong.” Over the following four years, more than 15,000 American troops were stationed at Karshi-Khanabad, commonly known as K2.
While there, the troops discovered suspicious yellow powder near the bunkers that had previously stored Soviet missiles. Tests revealed that this powder contained radioactive uranium, according to a Defense Department report from November 2001 that has since been made public.
In the years that followed, numerous K2 veterans reported developing cancers, kidney problems, and a variety of other health issues that are often linked to radiation exposure. However, the radiation exposure at K2 is not included in the PACT Act, a significant piece of veteran assistance legislation that President Joe Biden signed in 2022.
Stewart emphasized that “K2 veterans were the tip of the spear”—the first troops deployed in the war on terror—and he criticized the bureaucratic obstacles preventing them from obtaining the health care and benefits they deserve. “They are still on a lazy Susan of bureaucratic nonsense,” he expressed in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Stewart has been advocating for the Biden administration to extend full coverage to K2 veterans and participated in a meeting with the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for health affairs to discuss this issue.
A 2001 Army health team assessment discovered uranium scattered in various forms at K2—such as pellets and yellow residue—throughout the surrounding soil.
The assessment also indicated that “the uranium is not depleted uranium but rather an enriched product,” according to the now-declassified report.
Despite this evidence, the Defense Department has not formally recognized K2 as a location where radiation exposure occurred. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has yet to classify it as associated with the health issues that veterans experienced. The White House has stated that addressing this matter is a priority for President Biden, but has mentioned that further information is still required.
A spokesperson for the White House, Kelly Scully, stated, “President Biden believes veterans harmed by toxic exposures while they were stationed at K2 should have access to the benefits they earned and deserve.”
The Pentagon echoed this sentiment, stating that they are dedicated to reviewing all information relevant to K2 and ensuring the health and safety of service members and veterans is a top priority.
According to VA spokesman Terrence Hayes, since the PACT Act was enacted, nearly 12,000 K2 veterans have had claims approved for service-related conditions and, on average, each has received annual compensation of $30,871 for their disabilities.
However, some K2 veterans have passed away while waiting for their radiation-related health claims to be recognized by the Pentagon and the VA. Matt Erpelding, who leads the K2 veterans advocacy group Stronghold Freedom Foundation, expressed frustration, stating that prolonged studies and reviews only delay necessary action. “It needs to get done now,” said Erpelding, who served as a C-130 pilot at K2 in December 2001.
According to an analysis of declassified data from K2, the radiation levels recorded there in 2001 were up to 40,000 times higher than what would typically be expected from naturally occurring uranium, according to Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear fusion expert and president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
Exposure to uranium can lead to severe kidney damage, increased risks of bone cancer, reproductive health issues, and other serious health problems, Makhijani noted. He has previously assisted veterans impacted by radiation from nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in the 1940s.
The VA does not have figures on how many of the 15,000-plus troops who served at K2 later became ill. However, a grassroots veterans organization has contacted around 5,000 of these veterans, and over 1,500 reported serious health problems, including various cancers, kidney issues, reproductive concerns, and birth defects.
U.S. forces vacated the K2 base in 2005, after which Uzbekistan increased its role in combating regional terrorism, especially following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
In recent years, only a small number of U.S. military personnel have been sent back to Uzbekistan. Following a meeting at the Pentagon on Monday between U.S. military leaders and Uzbek officials, which emphasized cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, K2 was not discussed, according to an anonymous U.S. official.
Many veterans remain puzzled about the reluctance of U.S. agencies to officially acknowledge the radiation exposure at K2, especially given that it has been documented in official reports.
“They’re clearly weirdly sensitive about this place,” Stewart remarked.
Congress publicly released detailed environmental studies and extensive data collected by the Pentagon regarding K2 four years ago, as part of a bipartisan effort to gain recognition for the toxic exposures suffered by K2 veterans. Recently, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) announced new legislation aimed at addressing these issues.
In response to numerous inquiries from the AP, officials from the White House, VA, and Defense Department have pointed to various avenues of enhanced care for K2 veterans, both through the PACT Act and other supplemental measures that the VA recently announced.
As for the acknowledgment of radiation exposure, the government has referred to a study from Johns Hopkins concerning the effects of depleted uranium on veterans, which is not expected to be completed until 2031—marking three decades since the September 11 attacks.
According to K2 veteran Mark Jackson, “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.”
