U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Department of Defense to conduct a comprehensive investigation into what he called the "disastrous and embarrassing withdrawal" of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
The withdrawal, which also brought an end to almost two decades of U.S. military presence in the nation, was carried out under President Joe Biden and his national security team in August of that year.
In a memo published on Tuesday, Hegseth referenced the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing in Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate that killed 13 American troops and around 170 Afghan civilians. He advocated for revisiting the circumstances of the withdrawal and assessing the repercussions.
"This is a significant step towards recasting trust and confidence with the American people and with all those who bear the uniform, and is cautious given the number of casualties and equipment lost in the conduct of this withdrawal operation," the memo said.
Hegseth emphasized that the Department of Defense needs to conduct this review to fulfill its obligation to the public and to troops who served in Afghanistan for the sake of transparency and accountability.
"Three and a half years ago, the Biden Administration's catastrophic and humiliating pullout from Afghanistan resulted in the killing of 13 American service members and 170 others in a suicide blast at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul International Airport. President Trump promised accountability for what happened during that military retreat, and I am determined to make good on that promise," Hegseth stated in an official release.
In line with the directive, Hegseth has also assigned Sean Parnell—Senior Advisor and Chief Pentagon Spokesperson—to chair a newly established Special Review Panel that will conduct an inquiry into the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"Today, I am instructing the Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell to establish a Special Review Panel for the Department on the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.".
"Sean Parnell served 485 days in Afghanistan. He was injured in action and along with 85 percent of his platoon, lost numerous friends to the War on Terror. It is appropriate that he will spearhead the campaign to re-open prior Abbey Gate investigations performed by US Central Command under the Biden Administration," added the statement.
Besides Parnell, the panel of reviewers will comprise Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a combat-experienced Marine Corps officer and vocal critic of the pullout, and Jerry Dunleavy, an investigative reporter who assisted the House Foreign Affairs Committee in its investigation into the same incident.
"Sean and his staff will review the facts, review the sources, interview witnesses, review the decision-making, and autopsy the chain of events leading to one of America's saddest events. Sean and his staff will report periodically at times appropriate so that the American people are kept abreast of our work and any action directed as a result of our review," the statement ended.
Read also| Macron's Snub of Bangladesh’s Yunus Leads to Trip Cancellation
