Washington — Rep. Mike McCaul, the highest Republican on the Home Overseas Affairs Committee, criticized the White Home and State Division for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan one yr in the past, saying "there was no plan" for pulling in another country.
"There are a lot of sins, if you'll," McCaul stated in an interview with "Face the Nation." "There was a whole lack and failure to plan. There was no plan and there was no plan executed. And, to your level, , even beforehand, I feel the State Division most likely did not have the assets it wanted to hold out an evacuation of this measurement and enormity."
The Texas lawmaker mentioned the findings of a report set to be launched Monday by the Republican members of the Home Overseas Affairs Committee. McCaul described it as a "pretty goal report in regards to the failures that had been made" by the Biden administration within the runup to the withdrawal.
The report's launch coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Taliban's swift takeover of Kabul and the fleeing of then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani from the nation. The failure of the Biden administration to anticipate the Taliban's fast rise fueled criticism of President Biden, who repeatedly defended his timeline for withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, 2021, prior to the Sept. 11 deadline he beforehand set.
The autumn of Kabul additionally set off a chaotic rush of Afghans trying to flee the nation beneath Taliban rule. With the U.S. navy controlling the primary airport within the capital for evacuations, scores of Afghans descended on the gates surrounding it, hoping to board navy planes shuttling individuals in another country.
By the point the withdrawal was accomplished on Aug. 30, 2021, marking the official finish of America's longest struggle, greater than 122,000 individuals had been evacuated from Afghanistan because the finish of July 2021, together with 5,400 Americans. Secretary of State Antony Blinken estimated on the time that fewer than 200 Individuals remained within the nation.
The State Division estimates there are 74,000 weak Afghans who've utilized for particular immigrant visas and are ready to depart the nation.
McCaul stated the State Division was "overwhelmed" by the dimensions of the evacuation. However the greatest situation, he stated, was the "rosy image" painted by the White Home and State Division, even because the Pentagon and intelligence neighborhood had been warning that the Afghan authorities may collapse prior to anticipated.
"There is a disconnect between, , intelligence on the bottom and what the White Home is doing," he stated. "On this report, it says all of it, like, 'There is no means we'll evacuate embassy personnel from helicopters like we did in Vietnam.' And naturally, we all know that occurred."
McCaul additionally pointed to the choice to show down a suggestion from the Taliban for the U.S. navy to take duty for securing Kabul.
"Take into consideration what that may have modified," he stated. "We had relied on the Taliban to safe the perimeter of [Hamid Karzai International Airport]. That led to the chaos. It additionally led to a suicide bomber that killed 13 service members, women and men, and injured over tons of of individuals. And it may have been averted."
The Texas Republican defended the intelligence neighborhood and the Pentagon for appropriately assessing the autumn of the Afghan navy and Taliban's takeover.
"The issue was the White Home and State Division placing their head within the sand, not eager to imagine what they had been saying, and due to this fact not adequately planning," he stated.
McCaul stated the U.S. broke its promise to hundreds of scores of Afghans who assisted U.S. troops throughout the struggle.
"The ladies left behind is the worst of this whole story. I acquired 4 busloads of little women from music college out, however the Schindler's Checklist, , in case you're on the record, you are going to reside in case you're not on the record, you are most likely going to die," he stated. "100 thousand Afghan companions left behind — keep in mind what we stated, we are going to shield you. That was our promise to them, nobody left behind, and we left them behind to the mercy of the Taliban, and now they're being tortured and killed."
The Biden administration is poised to situation its personal report on the withdrawal, and has offered greater than 150 briefings to lawmakers and employees on Afghanistan addressing an array of subjects. Blinken, too, has testified twice in hearings particularly centered on Afghanistan, whereas senior State Division officers have briefed the Home Overseas Affairs Committee on the problem, answering questions from its Democratic and Republican members.