GOP unveils fiery report blaming Biden for Afghanistan withdrawal

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Sep 2024 08:55

The report, stemming from a 3-year investigation led by Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, highlights significant issues with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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Hundreds of people gather near a US Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021. (AP)

House Republicans are set to release a long-anticipated report criticizing President Joe Biden's administration for its handling of the chaotic and deadly US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The report argues that the administration delayed the decision to evacuate noncombatants until August 16, suffered from poor communication both within the US government and with officials in Afghanistan, and mishandled the paperwork for Afghan civilians eligible to leave the country.

The report, stemming from a three-year investigation led by Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, highlights significant issues with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It asserts that "America’s credibility on the world stage was severely damaged after we abandoned Afghan allies to Taliban reprisal killings — the people of Afghanistan we had promised to protect."

Additionally, it notes that "the moral injury to America’s veterans and those still serving remains a stain on this administration’s legacy."

Why it matters

The withdrawal has become highly politicized as the November 5 US presidential election approaches. Last month, Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump filmed a campaign video at Arlington National Cemetery, where he participated in a ceremony honoring troops who died during the evacuation.

Trump has also criticized President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during his campaign appearances, holding them personally responsible for the deaths at Kabul airport's Abbey Gate.

On August 26, 2021, as US forces were allegedly aiding Americans and Afghans fleeing the country amid the hasty US withdrawal, an ISIS bombing at the Abbey Gate killed 13 Americans, adding to the sense of defeat following two decades of war.

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Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee. Democrats argue that some responsibility for the chaotic withdrawal—occurring less than seven months into Biden’s presidency—should also fall on Trump, who initiated the withdrawal process by signing a deal with the Taliban in 2020.

"When former President Trump took office, there were approximately 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan. Days before leaving office, the former President ordered a further reduction to 2,500," said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, in a letter to committee Democrats regarding the investigation.

Republican committee aides have dismissed this argument as partisan, suggesting that Biden had the option to either ignore or enforce Trump’s agreement. They accuse officials from Biden’s administration of allowing the Taliban to ignore its obligations.

Approximately 800,000 US servicemembers served in Afghanistan during a 20-year-long occupation. Throughout the conflict, 2,238 US service members were killed and nearly 21,000 were wounded, while independent estimates report that over 100,000 Afghan security forces and civilians lost their lives. Representative Michael McCaul has subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken three times regarding the Afghanistan investigation, with the latest subpoena issued last week, demanding his in-person testimony.

'US State Department was central to Afghanistan withdrawal'

Issued Tuesday, the subpoena orders Blinken to appear before the committee on September 19 or face contempt charges.

"The Committee is holding this hearing because the Department of State was central to the Afghanistan withdrawal and served as the senior authority during the August non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO)," McCaul explained in a letter to Blinken.

"As Secretary of State throughout the withdrawal and NEO, you were entrusted to lead these efforts and to secure the safe evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies...You are therefore in a position to inform the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal, including potential reforms to the Department’s legislative authorization."

According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken testified regarding the matter over 14 times and is unavailable on the committee's recommended dates.

Miller expressed that "it is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena."

McCaul's decision comes after a protracted dispute between the committee and the State Department over access to papers relating to the US departure from Afghanistan, which Republicans have characterized as chaotic and botched.

The State Department issued its Afghanistan report on June 30, blaming both the Trump and Biden administrations for the catastrophic pullout in August 2021.

According to the unclassified Afghanistan After Action Review (AAR), "The decisions of both President Trump and President Biden to end the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan had serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security." The team found that during both administrations, "there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow."