A newly released GOP report criticizes President Biden’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, accusing the administration of rushing the process and ignoring key warnings that led to chaos and unnecessary deaths.
Issued by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the report highlights the administration’s failure to plan for a swift Taliban takeover.
The report contends that Biden was determined to leave Afghanistan, despite advice from military officials, allies, and his national security team. It criticizes the administration for failing to anticipate the rapid collapse of Kabul to the Taliban, leading to a chaotic 17-day evacuation that saw the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and over 170 Afghans.
“The evidence proves President Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops was not based on the security situation, the Doha Agreement, or the advice of his senior national security advisors or our allies. Rather, it was premised on his longstanding and unyielding opinion that the United States should no longer be in Afghanistan,” the report states.
Delayed Evacuation Planning
One of the report’s sharpest criticisms is the administration’s delay in initiating a formal evacuation plan, known as a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO).
According to the report, there was concern within the administration that calling for a NEO would equate to failure. This hesitation, coupled with fears over the optics of such an evacuation, contributed to the deadly and chaotic scenes that unfolded at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
House Republicans argue that many of the dangers associated with the withdrawal could have been mitigated if the administration had acted sooner.
Interviews conducted by the committee revealed that while the military stressed the likelihood that Kabul would fall, the State Department delayed in planning an evacuation, fearing further destabilization in the region.
The evacuation was not ordered until August 15, 2021, when Ross Wilson, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, formally requested one. By that time, Kabul had already fallen to the Taliban, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken was on vacation.
This forced many crucial decisions to be made in real time, resulting in confusion and poor coordination.
“This inexcusable delay was exacerbated by the department’s failure to formulate an emergency evacuation plan. The magnitude of the evacuation necessary became untenable, and departmental inaction condemned thousands of Afghan allies and Americans to a life under Taliban rule,” the report concluded.
White House Defends Biden’s Decision
The Biden administration has fiercely defended the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, pointing to the deal negotiated under former President Donald Trump.
According to the White House, Trump’s agreement with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces by May 2021 left Biden in a difficult position, either ramping up military engagement or completing the withdrawal.
White House spokesperson Sharon Yang accused Republicans of “cherry-picking facts” and ignoring the untenable situation left behind by the Trump administration.
“Because of the bad deal former President Trump cut with the Taliban to get out of Afghanistan by May of 2021, President Biden inherited an untenable position,” Yang said in a statement.
The administration also argued that ending the war was the right choice, despite the challenges that came with it. “The President refused to send another generation of Americans to fight a war that should have ended long ago,” Yang added.
GOP Pushes Probe
Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have signaled that their investigation is far from over.
Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) has subpoenaed Blinken to testify on the matter in a hearing scheduled for September 19.
McCaul has accused the Biden administration of ignoring key warning signs and leaving behind an estimated 100,000 U.S. partners and vulnerable individuals under Taliban rule.
“The lack of planning and coordination displayed during the withdrawal was a dereliction of duty that had real and devastating consequences,” McCaul said.