A new report by House Republicans accuses the Biden administration of mishandling the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan by ignoring warnings about crumbling security and failing to launch an emergency evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies until it was too late. The report, based on internal State Department documents and testimony from officials, criticized President Joe Biden and his deputies for reducing troop levels, keeping a large embassy staff in place, and not preparing evacuation plans.
The Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee dismissed the report as a partisan exercise timed for political effect, leading up to the presidential election. Both political parties have tried to blame each other for the debacle in Afghanistan, with experts and former officials pointing out that both former President Donald Trump and President Biden share responsibility. Trump reduced troop levels in Afghanistan, while Biden failed to execute the withdrawal effectively.
A State Department employee revealed that despite the U.S. withdrawal being announced six months in advance, little was done to prepare for the eventuality of the military departure. The report highlighted the failure of the White House and State Department to plan for an emergency evacuation of Americans and Afghans and criticized the Biden administration for not acting promptly once the security situation deteriorated. The blame was placed on the acting ambassador in Kabul for not properly planning for a potential evacuation.
The report also criticized the embassy and State Department for their handling of Afghans who had worked for the U.S. military or government but were unable to gain entry to the airport despite having the proper paperwork. It was only weeks before the Taliban seized power that the State Department initiated an operation to start flying out Afghans with special immigrant visas. Many Afghans with no work history for the U.S. government were able to secure spots on flights out of Kabul amidst the chaos at the airport.
While the report mostly focuses on the Biden administration’s mishandling of the withdrawal, it also offers muted criticism of the Trump administration. Trump’s reduction of troop levels and reliance on a flawed deal with the Taliban are part of the criticism laid out in the report. The report singles out Trump’s envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, for criticism for trusting the Taliban’s promises despite evidence to the contrary and undermining the Afghan government’s legitimacy.
The chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport, where Afghans who had worked at the embassy were a low priority as officials focused on evacuating State Department employees, revealed the failures of the evacuation efforts. The fear of a terrorist attack at the airport came true when a suicide bomber killed civilians and U.S. military personnel. The blame was placed on the embassy leadership for failing the local staff and not prioritizing their evacuation, leading to a tragic and devastating outcome.
