Pentagon chief orders ‘comprehensive review’ into 2021 U.S. Afghanistan withdrawal

FILE - Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani) (Shekib Rahmani/AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a “comprehensive review” on Tuesday of the United States’ chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, an evacuation operation in which 13 U.S. service members and 150 Afghans were killed at Kabul’s airport in an Islamic State bombing.

It was unclear how Hegseth’s review would differ from the many previous reviews that were carried out - including by the U.S. military, State Department and even President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Hegseth could be accused of politicizing the matter. The Biden administration, which oversaw the 2021 pullout, mostly blamed the resulting chaos on a lack of planning and reductions in troops by the first Trump administration following a 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces.

On the campaign trail, Trump frequently criticized Biden and his administration for the withdrawal.

In a memo, Hegseth said that after three months of reviewing the withdrawal, a comprehensive review was needed to ensure accountability for this event.

“This remains an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform and is prudent based on the number of casualties and equipment lost during the execution of this withdrawal operation,” Hegseth wrote.

In a statement accompanying the memo, he said Pentagon spokesperson and senior adviser Sean Parnell would lead the review. Other individuals who served in Afghanistan, such as Stuart Scheller, who was publicly critical of the withdrawal while he was in the Marine Corps, would be a part of the review panel.

Senior U.S. military officials, including then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-top U.S. general Mark Milley, have already appeared before lawmakers.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, has also carried out an investigation into the Islamic State attack that killed the 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans during the last few days of the withdrawal.

Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Howard Goller