The House Foreign Affairs Committee has subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. The hearing is scheduled for September 19, with Republican Chairman Michael McCaul stating that Blinken had previously refused requests to appear before the committee. McCaul has criticized the Biden administration for the handling of the withdrawal, specifically the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 US service members. A report detailing the findings of the committee’s three-year investigation into the withdrawal is set to be released on September 9, with McCaul stating that it will indict the administration for its lack of preparation and disregard for the safety and security of US personnel.
The US State Department’s Afghanistan After Action Review report, released last year, found that the decisions made by both President Trump and President Biden to end the US military mission in Afghanistan had detrimental consequences. The report suggested that there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and the speed with which they might materialize. The committee has conducted more than a dozen interviews as part of its investigation into the 2021 evacuation, including a transcribed interview with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki and testimony from three top State Department officials who were on the ground in Kabul during the final days of the US presence in Afghanistan.
The committee’s investigation has focused on the unprecedented situation in the final days of the US presence in Afghanistan, with officials such as John Bass, Jim DeHart, and Jayne Howell rushing to Kabul to create systems alongside the US military. They faced constantly changing input from the ground and Washington, DC. McCaul has been vocal in his calls for accountability from the Biden administration, particularly in relation to the Abbey Gate bombing. The upcoming report is expected to highlight the administration’s lack of preparedness and indifference towards the safety of US personnel during the withdrawal.
McCaul has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, specifically pointing to the Abbey Gate bombing. The committee’s report on the withdrawal is scheduled to be released on September 9, with McCaul stating that it will hold the administration accountable for its reckless refusal to properly prepare for the withdrawal and its culpability in the deaths of 13 US service members. The Afghanistan After Action Review report released by the State Department last year highlighted the detrimental consequences of the decisions made by both President Trump and President Biden to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan. The committee’s investigation has included interviews with various officials involved in the evacuation, shedding light on the challenges faced during the final days of the US presence in Afghanistan.
