House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has called for nine current and former U.S. diplomats to testify about their roles in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal efforts from Afghanistan in 2021.
- Ross L. Wilson, former acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan;
- Brian McKeon, former deputy secretary of state for management and resources;
- Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation;
- Carol Perez, former acting undersecretary of state for management;
- John Bass, undersecretary of state for management and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan;
- Derek Chollet, counselor to the secretary;
- Suzy George, chief of staff to the secretary;
- Salman Ahmed, director of policy planning; and
- Dean Thompson, U.S. ambassador to Nepal and former acting assistant secretary for south and central Asia.
While the Taliban largely permitted the United States to finish evacuating its citizens and allies from the country, the ISIS-K terrorist group became emboldened and carried out a suicide attack at the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021, detonating a bomb that killed 13 U.S. troops and dozens of civilians.
The Republican House committee chairman described the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan overseen by the Biden administration as an “unmitigated disaster of epic proportions” and vowed that he wouldn’t stop investigating the withdrawal “until the American people receive the transparency and answers they deserve.”
The State Department didn’t specify whether Mr. Blinken would approve some of the congressional interview requests but said it has cooperated with the post-withdrawal investigations thus far.
Questions for Military Officials
Mr. McCaul’s request for testimony from the nine current and former U.S. diplomats is just one avenue of investigation. The State Department and Department of Defense both played critical roles in the withdrawal and evacuation operations.“It is essential to carefully examine these events to assess what happened that day and whether the Abbey Gate attack was avoidable,” Mr. McCaul said in his Aug. 15 letter to Mr. Austin. “For two years, not a single person within the Biden Administration has been held accountable for the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“I will not rest until we uncover every stone and get to the bottom of how this happened and who is responsible for these failures. Our service members, veterans, and our Gold Star families—especially those who lost family on August 26th at Abbey Gate—deserve answers.”