US Attributes Chaotic Afghan Withdrawal to Intelligence Failures and Trump's Policies

By IndraStra Global News Team

Cover Image Attribute: The Kabul airport was a chaotic mess in the weeks following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as Afghans tried to flee the country. / Source: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

 

The withdrawal, concluding on August 30, 2021, stunned both Americans and their international partners, as the Taliban rapidly overran Afghan forces trained by Western nations in weeks.
In a long-awaited review, the White House has blamed the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan on former President Donald Trump and a significant intelligence failure. The review, which had been classified, was sent to Congress, where the Republican majority in the House of Representatives scrutinized what they deem President Joe Biden's shortcomings during the August 2021 withdrawal.
The National Security Council released a declassified summary of the report. In this summary, the White House acknowledged that mistakes were made during the withdrawal, which witnessed the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, forcing the hurried evacuation of American troops and their allies.
"Ending a war, any war, is not an easy endeavor, certainly not after 20 years," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. "It doesn't mean it wasn't worth doing – ending that war in Afghanistan."
The White House predominantly placed blame on former President Donald Trump for creating conditions that led to the Afghan government's downfall. However, it also admitted that US intelligence services had failed to accurately assess the Taliban's strength and the vulnerabilities of Afghan government forces that Western nations had supported for years.
"Clearly we didn't get things right on intelligence," Kirby acknowledged.
The summary of the report contended that nothing could have altered the outcome of the withdrawal, stating that "ultimately, President Biden refused to send another generation of Americans to fight a war that should have ended for the United States long ago."
The review underscored the heavy influence of a February 2020 deal between the Trump administration and the Taliban, claiming that it left the incoming Biden administration with an untenable situation. It stated, "The departing Trump administration had left the Biden administration with a date for withdrawal, but no plan for executing it." Additionally, the document emphasized that crucial systems, offices, and agency functions necessary for a safe and orderly departure were in disrepair due to neglect during the Trump era.
The White House report also pointed out that Trump had consistently reduced the US troop presence in Afghanistan during his final 11 months in office, resulting in the Taliban being in their strongest military position since the US invasion in 2001.
In response to the report, former President Trump criticized the current White House and held them responsible for a "grossly incompetent SURRENDER in Afghanistan."
The review's conclusion suggested that the long-term failure of the war, including the surprising resilience of the Taliban and the fragility of government forces, meant that the withdrawal was bound to face significant challenges. It stated that "after more than 20 years, more than $2 trillion dollars, and standing up an Afghan army of 300,000 soldiers, the speed and ease with which the Taliban took control of Afghanistan suggests that there was no scenario – except a permanent and significantly expanded US military presence – that would have changed the trajectory."

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