If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. The brother of a young Marine killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan reportedly took his own life a year later during a recent memorial service for the fallen serviceman. Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California, was one of 13 American soldiers killed on August 26, 2021, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside the Kabul airport as crowds of Americans and Afghan allies tried to flee the Taliban who took control. of the capital. Nearly a year later, Nikoui’s older sibling, 28-year-old Dakota Halverson, died on Aug. 9, a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California confirmed, though it provided few details. “The older brother of one of the 13 KIAs in Kabul recently killed himself at his little brother’s memorial service,” Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., tweeted Saturday, responding to a tweet by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas. “Please pray for his family. There MUST be accountability for this ongoing carnage.” Slain sailor’s father speaks of ‘chaotic’ situation in Afghanistan Shana Chappell, mother of slain Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, is embraced during a celebration of his life at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church, Riverside, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2021. (Cindy Yamanaka/MediaNews Group/The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images) Rosas shared a link to a GoFundMe page, writing that “Shana Chappell, who lost her son LCpl. Kareem Nikoui in the attack while deployed to Afghanistan last year, has announced that her son Dakota has passed away.” Rosas’ tweet included the hashtag “#SuicideAwareness.” “Dakota Halverson was a loving son, brother and friend,” Chappell wrote on GoFundMe. “Losing his brother almost a year ago proved very difficult to bear. Any donations for his funeral and services would be greatly appreciated as he wanted to be buried next to his brother Kareem who was killed on August 26, 2021, while he served his country. His family and I want to honor his wishes.” A military honor guard carries the flag-draped casket of Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Grant Nikoui at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church on September 18, 2021, in Riverside, California. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) As of noon Sunday, the fundraiser had reached $18,600 of its stated goal of $20,000. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chappell and the dead Marine’s father, Steve Nikoui, have been highly critical of President Biden’s top military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley, over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last August after a 20-year conflict. Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
