Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to release a report on Monday condemning President Joe Biden for the failures surrounding the chaotic withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, Reuters reports.
The report claims the U.S. government delayed issuing the order to evacuate non-combatants, only doing so on August 16. It also points to poor communication between U.S. agencies and Afghan officials, as well as faulty documentation for Afghan civilians eligible for evacuation.
The document is the result of a three-year investigation led by Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul has sent three subpoenas, most recently last week, to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding personal testimony.
The report concludes: “America’s credibility on the world stage was severely damaged after we abandoned our Afghan allies to Taliban reprisals. The moral harm to U.S. veterans remains a stain on this administration’s legacy.”
The issue of the Afghanistan withdrawal has been highly politicized ahead of the U.S. presidential election on November 5. Last month, former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, filmed a campaign ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where he honored the U.S. military personnel killed during the evacuation. Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deaths at Kabul airport.
Democrats argue that part of the blame for the chaotic end of the war lies with Trump, who signed an agreement with the Taliban in 2020. Republicans counter that Biden could have ignored or renegotiated the agreement.
Following the September 11, 2001, attacks by Al-Qaeda militants based in Afghanistan, about 800,000 U.S. troops were deployed to the country, with 2,238 losing their lives and nearly 21,000 wounded. Independent estimates also report over 100,000 deaths among Afghan security forces and civilians.
