US House Republicans criticise President Joe Biden’s administration over chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan
US : A much-awaited study by US House Republicans will be released in August 2021, and it will be critical of President Joe Biden‘s administration for how it handled the disorganized pullout from Afghanistan.
According to Reuters, the study, which was created during a three-year probe headed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Representative Michael McCaul, charges the government with grave errors in the evacuation procedure.
According to the study, there was insufficient communication between authorities in Washington and those on the ground in Afghanistan, and the decision to evacuate noncombatants was made too late—it was only publicly authorized on August 16. It also draws attention to problems with the documents required for Afghan citizens who are entitled to go abroad.
According to the study, “We betrayed our Afghan allies to Taliban retaliatory killings — the people of Afghanistan we had vowed to protect — seriously damaging America’s credibility on the international scene.” Furthermore, the memory of this government is tarnished by the moral harm done to America’s veterans and active duty members, according to Reuters.
As the US gets closer to its presidential election on November 5, the withdrawal has turned into a contentious political issue.
The Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump, has used the retreat to criticize Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing them directly of being responsible for the deaths of 13 Americans during the evacuation at Kabul’s Abbey Gate due to a suicide assault.
Additionally, Trump has paid tribute to the dead troops at Arlington National Cemetery by making campaign visits there.
Democrats counter that Trump, who struck an agreement with the Taliban in 2020 to start the process, has part of the burden for the pullout.
The senior Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, drew attention to the fact that, before to leaving office, Trump had cut the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan to 2,500.
Republican aides, however, brushed these accusations off as political, claiming that Biden had the option of upholding or disregarding Trump’s deal and charging Biden’s staff with allowing the Taliban to flout its obligations.
McCaul has three times subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify in relation to the probe; the most recent subpoena was sent out last week.
In the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks, more than 800,000 US military men fought in Afghanistan.
In the two-decade struggle, US soldiers suffered approximately 21,000 injuries and lost 2,238 deaths. According to estimates from outside sources, over 100,000 Afghan civilians and security personnel also perished.
