Afghanistan

Report: US State Dept. at Fault for Afghanistan Withdrawal

APR 4 2024·Updated APR 5 2024

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The Facts

Transcripts of the closed-door interviews of three US Dept. of State officials regarding the Aug. 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan have been revealed. The testimony comes from the House Foreign Affairs Committee probe of the withdrawal.
CNN
The three officials, John Bass, Jim DeHart, and Jayne Howell, said that while plans for a "noncombatant evacuation operation" began in April or May 2021, no such blueprint was in place when they arrived the following August after the Taliban took over Kabul.
CNN
DeHart said they had to "create from scratch" a plan to get "priority people" to the Kabul Airport. Howell said the Taliban broke its agreement to "admit Americans in a controlled fashion" by allowing "tens of thousands of people" into the Abbey Gate passenger terminal.
CNN
Regarding their experience coordinating with the military, unlike with the State Department, Howell described her communication as being "absolutely lockstep"; DeHart said the "chain of command" was not "unclear at any time."
CNN
This follows testimony from retired Gen. Mark Millie, who blamed the State Department and White House. He claimed that if he could have a "do-over," he would've "brought the embassy and the State Department out with the military by the middle of July."
Daily Mail
Retired General Frank McKenzie said they "had forces in the region as early as" July 9 "but we could do nothing" since the State Department wouldn't issue evacuation plans. Millie's request to retain 2.5K troops to maintain control of Bagram Air Base was denied by Pres. Biden.
NY1

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The Spin

Republican narrative

The revelations from these testimonies have already exposed Biden's failures, but it's important to note that these witnesses were approved by the White House to speak to the committee. Biden put completely inexperienced State Department personnel in charge of an incredibly fragile situation — imagine what revelations would emerge if the committee was allowed to enquire about the people Biden has not approved to speak.

newsmax.com

Democratic narrative

Recent reports have certainly cast a shadow over the Biden State Department, but it's important to remember that the plans for a troop withdrawal were established under the Trump administration. In 2020, before Biden took office, Trump made a deal with the Taliban that led to the eventual confusion during the 2021 withdrawal. This was a terrible tragedy for America, but to blame the Biden administration that was forced between a rock and a hard place is unfair.