'Best dad': Pregnant wife of US Marine killed in Kabul pays emotional tribute

New Delhi, India

'He would've been the best dad,' said the young widow of a US Marine, who died in the devastating ISIS-K suicide blast in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul on Thursday (August 26), in a heartwrenching note. 

The 20-year-old US Marine Rylee McCollum was one of the 13 troops killed in horrific suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport, which also claimed the lives of over 170 Afghans. 

His wife Jiennah Crayton, who is expecting their first child next month, paid an emotional tribute to her husband. 

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(Image Source: Facebook/Jiennah Crayton)

"i lost my best friend. and nothing will ever make that hurt less. he would’ve been the best dad," Jiennah Crayton posted on the Facebook accout. 

She added, "i wish he could see how much of an impact he made on this world. i’m so proud to call him my husband."

"but i just wanted to say thank you for all the love and support i’ve received today. times like this it’s all i can ask for. much love to the other families affected by this. they are all heroes forever," Jiennah further wrote. 

Jiennah Crayton's mother told The Sun: "I hadn't known (my daughter) to be so happy until she married (McCollum) and found out she was pregnant. It was like she was complete."

Rylee was looking forward to return home in October to his newborn child. The US is evacuating as many people from Afghanistan as possible before an August 31 deadline after announcing troops withdrawal from the region. 

When the suicide bomb blasts rocked Kabul, McCollum was manning a checkpoint at Hamid Karzai International Airport. 

It was McCollum's first-ever military deployment. 

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Rylee's father, Jim, told The New York Times that McCollum was "the most patriotic kid you could find". He added that his son "loved America, loved the military. Tough as nails with a heart of gold".

The Daily Mail has reported that Rylee and Jiennah met in San Diego while McCollum was in training and married in February of this year. 

The Pentagon has released the names of the 13 American service members killed in the blasts. They include 11 Marines, one Navy sailor who was assigned to a Marine Corps unit, and an Army Special Forces soldier.