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House GOP Report Criticizes Biden Administration Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

House GOP Report Criticizes Biden Administration Over Afghanistan Withdrawal
  • PublishedSeptember 9, 2024

A Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee report has accused the Biden administration of misleading the public about the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The report, part of a years-long investigation, criticizes President Joe Biden and his administration for ignoring warnings from military and national security officials, resulting in the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the deadly evacuation of US personnel.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which marked the end of a 20-year military presence, has been a point of contention for many lawmakers. Republicans have routinely criticized the Biden administration, particularly after the deaths of 13 US service members in a suicide bombing in Kabul during the final days of the withdrawal. The report also scrutinizes Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, accusing her of working closely with Biden to prioritize politics over national security.

Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the tragedy could have been avoided had the administration executed a proper evacuation plan.

“They left these 13 service men and women hanging out to dry,” said McCaul.

He criticized what he described as “moral negligence” on the administration’s part.

The report, shared with CBS News ahead of its public release, also blames the Biden administration for not heeding warnings from military leaders and for providing overly optimistic assessments of the situation in Afghanistan. The administration’s decision to withdraw US forces before the Taliban fulfilled the conditions of the Doha Agreement—signed by former President Donald Trump in 2020—was a key point of criticism. The agreement set the terms for the US withdrawal, but the Taliban quickly seized control of the country, contradicting intelligence assessments that predicted a slower Taliban advance.

While Republicans have placed much of the blame on Biden, the report touches only briefly on Trump’s role in setting the withdrawal process in motion. Democrats on the committee, in their minority report, defended the Biden administration’s actions, accusing Republicans of ignoring Trump’s responsibility in negotiating the agreement with the Taliban. They also noted that Trump’s plan to withdraw US forces lacked adequate preparations for a smooth transition.

The White House responded by rejecting the report’s findings, calling it “partisan” and based on “cherry-picked facts.” A spokesperson for the administration reiterated that Biden had inherited an untenable situation due to Trump’s deal with the Taliban, which left Biden with the choice of either escalating military involvement or proceeding with the withdrawal.

CBS News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.