US State Department blames both Biden and Trump for chaotic Afghan withdrawal

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A US State Department report on Friday criticized the Biden administration’s handling of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, saying it failed to prepare for “worst-case” scenarios and made serious mistakes during the country’s withdrawal. Why?

The report – some of the findings of which are classified – represents an apparent admission of error by Washington regarding the execution of the pullout, which is considered one of President Joe Biden’s biggest blunders.

The document states that the decision to withdraw US forces by both the Trump and Biden administrations will have “serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security”.

It blamed the administration for “insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly they can be followed”.

Biden set an August 31, 2021 deadline for troop withdrawal. But the US did not anticipate that Taliban forces would rapidly take over the country, including the capital Kabul, in the weeks before the withdrawal.

This led to a chaotic withdrawal of military and civilian personnel in the final days of the US presence in the country, including a fatal attack on US military personnel.

According to the State Department report, “the plan was to retain some US forces to provide critical security, but details of this. , , It was not clearly established when Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban.

It also stated that military planning was underway for a possible evacuation of civilians. , , For the time being”, it was “unclear” who in the State Department was leading the effort, hampering the plan.

The report also alleged that “senior administration officials had not made clear decisions about the universe of at-risk Afghans who would be included by the time the operation began, nor had they determined where those Afghans would be taken”. Will go”.

In addition, the operation was complicated by “prolonged gaps” in filling senior positions, including senior State Department officials responsible for South and Central Asia.

The Biden administration has been adamant that pulling troops out of Afghanistan was a good policy that is allowing it to focus on larger security challenges related to Russia and China.

Biden defended the decision on Friday when pressed about the report by a reporter.

“Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al-Qaeda wouldn’t be there. I said it won’t be there. I said we would get help from the Taliban,” he said. “I was right”.