The Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives is set to release a report on Monday, evaluating the deadly mistakes made by the Biden administration during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Prior to this, members of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Congress, spanning from liberals to moderates, as well as Republican lawmakers, have criticized Biden’s withdrawal process, stating that it lacked strategy and not only left the Afghan people in turmoil but also caused embarrassment for the United States.
The investigation conducted by the committee chaired by Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been ongoing for three years.
The report points out that part of the blame for this incident lies in Biden’s slow decision-making process regarding the evacuation of non-combat personnel. He did not officially issue the order until August 16 and failed to effectively communicate between various departments in Washington and Afghan officials, resulting in coordination challenges. Additionally, errors were made in handling departure documents for civilians eligible to leave Afghanistan.
The report states: “By abandoning our Afghan allies, subjecting them to Taliban retaliatory killings, the United States has suffered severe damage to its reputation on the international stage – we promised to protect the people of Afghanistan. For American veterans and active-duty service members, this is a moral harm and a stain on this administration’s record.”
Following the end of the 20-year U.S. military deployment, the collapse of the Afghan government occurred much faster than expected, with the Taliban swiftly seizing power, leading to chaos in the capital Kabul.
In his speech at the White House on August 16, 2021, Biden stated that the rapid collapse of the Afghan government actually highlighted the correctness of the U.S. withdrawal, mentioning that “the U.S. military should not and cannot fight for a military that is unwilling to fight for themselves, or die for it.”
Although the decision to withdraw received general support from the American public, the scenes of refugees flocking to the airport and the plight of the Afghan people have drawn criticism from both parties towards Biden.
The withdrawal incident of that year also became a focal point of debate during the elections.
Republican presidential candidate Trump, in the first televised debate, described President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as “the most embarrassing day in our country’s history.” Trump stated: “I wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan, but we needed to leave with dignity, strength, and power.”
During the campaign, Trump also criticized his opponent, Hillary Clinton, accusing her and Biden of bearing personal responsibility for the deaths at Abbey Gate of Kabul International Airport. On August 26, 2021, when the U.S. military was evacuating Americans and Afghan civilians at Kabul Airport, terrorists launched a suicide attack, resulting in the deaths of 13 Americans.
However, the Democratic Party’s memorandum suggests that Trump should bear some responsibility for the withdrawal, as he signed a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban in 2020 and failed to execute it properly, leading to Biden having to withdraw less than seven months into his presidency. After the Taliban took over Kabul, Biden swiftly reacted to protect the interests of the U.S. and its allies.
Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, pointed out that during Trump’s tenure, there were approximately 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but he ordered a reduction to 2,500 troops in the final days before leaving office, making subsequent evacuation operations more challenging.
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States deployed around 800,000 troops to Afghanistan. During this war, 2,238 American soldiers lost their lives, with nearly 21,000 U.S. troops injured.
According to independent estimates, the number of deaths among Afghanistan’s security forces and civilians exceeded 100,000 during the conflict.