House GOP releases report on Afghanistan withdrawal after 3-year investigation

Sep 9

Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Shea Taylor (Producer), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

After a three-year investigation, the GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee released its report on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Sunday, Sept. 8. The 354-page report blames the chaotic withdrawal on the Biden administration, saying the effort was rushed and done despite allies and advisers saying that was a bad idea.

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.@RepMcCaul (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is asked if his three-year investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan identified any mistakes by the Trump administration, which negotiated the Doha Agreement.

He says the mistake came from the Trump… pic.twitter.com/4nRS7jn9Hd
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 8, 2024

While the Biden administration cited the Doha Agreement, a Trump-era agreement with the Taliban to leave Afghanistan by May 2021, as a main reason for the withdrawal, the report says the decision “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 the president’s longstanding and unyielding opinion that the United States should no longer be in Afghanistan.”

The report accuses the administration of missing warning signs pointing to how quickly Kabul would fall to the Taliban upon a U.S. withdrawal and says the planning of and calling for an evacuation was delayed.

In response, the White House accused the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Republican chairman of basing the report on “cherry-picked facts” and failing to account for any role the Trump administration played.

Tags: Afghanistan, House Foreign Affairs committee, Qatar, Taliban, U.S. Congress

[KARAH RUCKER]

After a three-year investigation — THE G-O-P-LED HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HAS RELEASED ITS REPORT ON THE U-S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN…

THE 354-PAGE REPORT BLAMES THE CHAOTIC WITHDRAWAL ON THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION… SAYING THE EFFORT WAS RUSHED AND DONE DESPITE ALLIES AND ADVISERS SAYING IT WAS A BAD IDEA.

WHILE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CITED THE DOHA AGREEMENT — A TRUMP-ERA AGREEMENT with the Taliban TO LEAVE AFGHANISTAN by May 20-21 — AS A MAIN REASON for THE WITHDRAWAL…

THE REPORT SAYS THE DECISION “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 THE PRESIDENT’S LONGSTANDING AND UNYIELDING OPINION THAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NO LONGER BE IN AFGHANISTAN.”

THE REPORT ACCUSES THE ADMINISTRATION OF MISSING WARNING SIGNS POINTING TO HOW QUICKLY (COBBLE) KABUL WOULD FALL TO THE TALIBAN UPON A U-S WITHDRAWAL… AND SAYS THE PLANNING OF AND CALLING FOR AN EVACUATION WAS DELAYED.

IN RESPONSE — THE WHITE HOUSE IS ACCUSING THE COMMITTEE’S REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN OF BASING THE REPORT ON WHAT THEY CALL “CHERRY-PICKED FACTS” AND FAILING TO ACCOUNT FOR ANY ROLE THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION PLAYED.