Published on September 10, 2024, 12:44 am

In 2021, the Biden-Harris administration pushed forward with a U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan – a decision that, according to a recently released report from the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee, led to disastrous consequences over concerns and warnings from various sources.

The comprehensive inquiry was presented by Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), who held President Joe Biden accountable for his determination to move ahead with the Afghanistan pullout and Vice President Kamala Harris for backlining this decision.

“The Biden-Harris administration was set on withdrawing from Afghanistan, regardless of the Doha Agreement or any fallout. As such, they disregarded the conditions in the Doha Agreement, pleas of the Afghan government, and objections by our NATO allies, deciding to unilaterally pull out from the country,” highlighted the report.

One main point in this document pertains to when the administration announced a noncombatant emergency evacuation (NEO) in mid-August — a time at which Taliban forces were regaining control of Afghanistan and had reached Kabul. The delayed declaration resulted in chaotic evacuation plans for countless stranded Americans and Afghan allies.

According to this report based on trusted news sources, “The Biden-Harris administration prioritized how withdrawal would be perceived rather than ensuring safety for U.S. personnel on-site … Their failure to prepare or duly implement a NEO produced an unsafe environment at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), exposing U.S Defense Department and State Department staff to dangerous threats and emotional harm.”

It must also be remembered that this hasty withdrawal led directly to thirteen U.S servicemen being killed in a terrorist attack on August 26 2021- making it deadliest day for US military since 2012. This act of violence occurred at HKIA’s Abbey Gate where an ISIS-K-affiliated suicide bomber let off his device killing not only these servicemen but also 170 Afghans too.

Democrats on the Foreign Affairs Committee, spearheaded by ranking member Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, contested the GOP investigation’s findings by producing a separate report. McCaul was accused by Meeks of playing politics with the Afghanistan withdrawal report.

The investigation also criticized the Trump administration for negotiating the Doha agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan without consultations with the Afghan government.

Negative feedback about McCaul’s report wasn’t confined to just White House representatives who deemed it as “partisan” or “based on cherry-picked facts,” but also from Jerry Dunleavy, a former senior investigator in this particular exploration, who resigned from his position in protest. Dunleavy held McCaul and the committee investigation responsible for not following leads and missing numerous opportunities to hold officials accountable for missteps during the withdrawal.

In any case, whether it be real news or a Christian Worldview perspective, a critical assessment examining all sides is essential when addressing such weighty events that could potentially shape our world history.