Gold Star families of US military members who were killed at Abbey Gate
in Afghanistan in August 2021 speak during the third day of the 2024
Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has released its startling 354-page report on the disastrous Biden Administration Afghanistan withdrawal of U.S. troops. The three-year report criticized the Biden administration for failing to anticipate the Taliban’s takeover and neglecting to prepare for the orderly departure of non-combat personnel. The erratic decision led to a horrendous evacuation effort and numerous American civilians and U.S.-allied Afghans left stranded and killed by the Taliban.
Additionally, the report reveals testimony from 18 administration officials including Gen. Austin Miller, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and former acting ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson. The report states that the Biden Administration’s decision led to classified documents and military equipment being left behind worth over $7 billion as well as the death of 13 service members who were killed by a suicide bomber at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Additionally, the report states that the agencies failed to coordinate and accuse the White House of faltering to listen to recommendations to leave a small military presence in place. However, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that “there was no handover of US equipment to the Taliban,” in response to the damning report.
Meanwhile, some of that equipment was seen just last month, when Taliban fighters hosted a military parade to celebrate the three-year anniversary of recapturing Kabul.
Furthermore, the equipment left behind also included key technological tools and sensitive databases that put Afghans who were helping the U.S. at great risk.
McCaul also said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that the Taliban “goes door to door [and] checks fingerprints” of residents before torturing and killing those found to have assisted the US and NATO. During the time of the botched withdrawal, the military cut off the installation’s water and left in the middle of the night, keeping the base’s new Afghan commander unaware about the withdrawal.
However, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command at the time, denied the allegation when asked by the committee.
Meanwhile, McCaul said he expects the panel involved with the report to continue to investigate and will obtain testimony from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts |
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