Departments in the Biden Administration are investigating who’s to blame for the rushed and dangerous evacuation of American citizens and Afghans after the Taliban overtook Afghanistan this weekend.
What We Know:
- On Monday, one day after the takeover, Afghans traveled to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in an attempt to flee the country, as the United States quickly sent troops to facilitate the safe evacuation of US Embassy employees. When military planes left the airport, Afghans clung to the aircrafts’ fuselage while it took off. It has been reported that at least two people died amid the chaos.
- Military officials claimed that they urged the State Department to begin removing diplomatic personnel from the country for weeks. In response, the State Department said they operated based on intelligence assessments that suggested they could take more time doing so. However, intelligence officials state they reported a rapid Taliban takeover to the State Department for a while.
- President Joe Biden made defiant comments about the overthrow on Monday. Biden stated that the Afghan security forces’ unwillingness to fight, previous administrations’ decisions, and failing to address the chaos on his watch was to blame for the situation. He also admitted that the Taliban takeover happened faster than he expected. Regardless, he stayed firm on his decision to end the war and made it clear he would not send troops back to Afghanistan.
“I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision onto another president of the United States,” Biden said in his speech.
- Officials believe Biden received bad advice from some of his military and intelligence advisers. One White House official referenced Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley’s suggestion that Afghan forces could fight and defend themselves. Milley also stated that the Taliban takeover was not a foregone conclusion.
- CNN reported that John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, repeatedly warned leaders about the Afghan military’s corruption. Furthermore, soldiers suffered from drug addiction and participated in theft. The military also held tens of thousands of “ghost soldiers” that they would add to payrolls so corrupt officers could collect salaries. Therefore, CNN writes the US should have seen that Afghanistan could not defend themselves from the Taliban on their own.
Despite the Afghan situation unfolding quicker than expected, the Biden Administration believes the withdrawal of American troops is not to blame.
