An exclusive 2,000-page report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request came out today detailing some of the inside baseball between the Department of State, the Pentagon, and the White House during the lead up and execution of the withdrawal from Afghanistan which saw 13 U.S. service members killed, billions in weaponry left behind, and re-establishment of the Taliban in the seat of power.
The report highlights the complete incompetence and ignorance of the White House and Department of State. It shows both rebuking the military that a Taliban takeover was inevitable and on a timeline much faster than anticipated. Approximately 10 Districts were falling to the Taliban per day and the White House and Department of State simply ignored it.
A few highlights:
- Military personnel would have been “much better prepared to conduct a more orderly” evacuation, Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, the top U.S. commander on the ground during the operation, told Army investigators, “if policymakers had paid attention to the indicators of what was happening on the ground.” He did not identify any administration officials by name, but said inattention to the Taliban’s determination to complete a swift and total military takeover undermined commanders’ ability to ready their forces.
- Military officials told investigators that although the evacuation was in many ways cobbled together on the fly, planning within the Defense Department began months earlier. Initial discussions presumed the possible use of Bagram air base, a sprawling U.S. military installation 30 miles north of Kabul, and assistance from Afghan government forces to help secure the path there, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Farrell J. Sullivan, who was involved in planning and oversaw the Marines sent into the capital, told investigators. Those plans evolved from incorporating both airfields to “just HKIA,” the Marine general said, using the military’s shorthand for Hamid Karzai International Airport."
- As many as 10 government-controlled districts were falling to the Taliban daily, this official noted, adding, “The embassy needed to position for withdrawal, and the Ambassador didn’t get it.”
-“Everyone clearly saw some of the advantage of holding Bagram, but you cannot hold Bagram with the force level that was decided,” Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, told the Washington Post. (C3 Note: Remember, President Biden is the one who determined the force level but said his top Generals never addressed holding Bagram with him).
- The Marine general told investigators that trying to engage the embassy in discussions about an evacuation was “like pulling teeth” until early August.
- During an Aug. 6 meeting, a National Security Council official, who is not identified in the report, appeared to lack a sense of urgency and told others involved that if the United States had to execute an evacuation, it would signal “we have failed,” Brig Gen. Sullivan recalled. “In my opinion, the NSC was not seriously planning for an evacuation,” he said.
- On Aug. 9, three days after the first provincial capital fell to the Taliban, Biden’s advisers convened meetings to discuss whether to begin closing the embassy, but senior officials unanimously decided it was still "premature." (C3 note: Kabul fell to the Taliban less than a week later).
- Some State Department personnel were “intoxicated and cowering in rooms,” and others were “operating like it was day-to-day operations with absolutely no sense of urgency or recognition of the situation,” the officer said.
- Sullivan, the Marine general, told investigators that there were changing expectations about how many people associated with Afghan paramilitary units aiding the evacuation needed to be taken out of the country. He initially thought it was 6,000 people — including strike unit members and their families — but later learned the correct number was about 38,800, and advised that it would be wise for the military to request commercial airline help through the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to increase overall flights. (C3 Note: How do you come up with an estimate and be 32,600 people off? That dude would never make it guessing folks weight at the carnival).
- Officials said on Friday that, in addition to the 13 service members who died, another 45 were wounded in the blast, with some suffering brain injuries that surfaced later.
- On Aug. 29, an errant U.S. drone strike killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children. Top Pentagon officials initially justified the attack, saying they believed it had targeted another would-be suicide bomber. The victims included an aid worker and several members of his family.
The report fails to mention the more than 9,000 American citizens President Biden stranded in Afghanistan. They are still there, some in hiding, trying to get out.
All in all a damning report. It is clear, not only from what we witnessed on TV, social media, and first-hand reporting, that President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin, National Security Advisor Sullivan, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley were wholly unprepared to execute this mission. One could surmise all of that without even reading the report. All one needs to do is remember the 13 brave Americans who were killed after being put in a situation that could have been avoided.
This will be President Biden's legacy.
Pathetic.
