State Department Failed To Plan Or Respond Fast Enough In Afghanistan Collapse, New US Report Finds – Matthew Lee and Nomaan Merchant (AP News) / June 30, 2023
A State Department report says the department failed to do enough contingency planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department failed to do enough planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, according to a Biden administration review of the department’s performance during the chaotic evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies.
The review repeatedly blames the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for their efforts before and after the August 2021 departure of U.S. forces from Kabul. The U.S. evacuated an estimated 124,000 Afghans from the country.
Republicans have in turn accused Biden of not taking responsibility for intelligence failures leading up to the Taliban’s seizure of the country and for the scenes of chaos at Kabul’s airport, where 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghans died in a suicide bombing.
Biden was defiant when asked Friday if he would admit the U.S. made mistakes before and during its withdrawal.
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