The collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan resulted from a lack of planning by the State Department, as revealed in a review conducted by the Biden administration. The report acknowledges the responsibility of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for their inadequate efforts leading up to and following the departure of U.S. forces from Kabul in August 2021. Republicans have criticized Biden for his failure to take accountability for the intelligence failures that allowed the Taliban to seize control of the country, as well as the chaos and loss of life at Kabul’s airport. The Biden administration released parts of the State report on the Friday before the July 4 holiday weekend, while withholding most of its contents from public release.
The report highlights that a task force organized by the State Department successfully evacuated nearly 2,000 Afghan citizens in July and early August 2021. However, it criticizes the department for not establishing a broader task force as the situation in Afghanistan worsened. Additionally, there was a lack of clarity regarding the department’s leadership during the evacuation planning. The report emphasizes that the decisions made by both Trump and Biden to end the military mission in Afghanistan had severe consequences for the stability of the Afghan government and its security. It points out the insufficient consideration of worst-case scenarios and the speed at which they could occur during both administrations.
The Taliban’s rapid capture of key cities and the uncertain fate of Kabul led to an overwhelming influx of calls and messages from various entities seeking assistance in rescuing individuals trapped in the country. The report states that State Department personnel were inundated with requests for help. Furthermore, the guidance provided to facilitate the evacuation was confusing and did not align with the reality on the ground at the time.
A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that lessons from the Afghanistan failures were taken into account during subsequent evacuations in Ukraine and Sudan. However, officials did not provide a reason for releasing the report just before a holiday weekend.
In conclusion, the review underscores the State Department’s lack of planning and ineffective coordination before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan. It acknowledges the shortcomings of both the Trump and Biden administrations and highlights the consequences of their decisions. Despite lessons learned, there were still challenges and confusion faced by personnel during the evacuation efforts. The report’s release timing remains unexplained.
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