In a 12-page White House release summarising the Pentagon’s findings regarding the August 2021 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden’s administration blamed the preceding Donald Trump administration for the failure.
While the Pentagon document is confidential, the summary was made accessible to the public.
Biden Administration Blames Trump
The release said that President Biden had “severely constrained” choices on executing the troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan due to conditions created by his predecessor Donald Trump.
It accused Trump of having “emboldened” the Taliban by ordering direct talks with the group and publicly considering inviting it to Camp David on the anniversary of 9/11 without consulting the US’ allies or including the Afghan government during such negotiations.
The document further highlighted the unreasonable drawdowns of troops from Afghanistan in the run-up to the withdrawal. Reports suggest that when Trump took office in 2017, the US had 10,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan. By January 2021, this number had dropped to 2,500.
The Afghanistan retreat was a total mess under Biden. And now his Afghanistan exit report mentions Trump more than ISIS. But the White House still insists they did everything right. pic.twitter.com/0tmrO7htpf
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) April 6, 2023
Accordingly, the release noted that, as Biden took over in January 2021, the Taliban enjoyed the “strongest military position” since 2001. Meanwhile, the US was disadvantaged due to the lowest number of troops in the same period.
Meanwhile, per the agreement with the Trump administration, the Taliban would resume all attacks on foreign forces if the troops were not withdrawn by the stipulated deadline.
In light of these findings, the White House report stressed the importance of a “detailed and effective transition” in similar “complex military operations.”
Reactions
In response, former President Donald Trump accused the “morons in the White House” of the “new disinformation game” to redirect blame for the hasty withdrawal. He said, “Biden is responsible, no one else!”
The @WhiteHouse just blamed President Trump for their botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Let’s set the facts straight:
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) April 7, 2023
- 9K Americans were left behind under Biden
- $7B in military equipment was left to terrorists under Biden
- And 13 brave servicemembers died in Kabul under Biden
Meanwhile, a Republican leader accused the government of “brazen whitewashing of their failure in Afghanistan.”
Justifying the Withdrawal
The document highlighted that the Biden administration was presented with two choices.
First, the US could send more troops “into harm’s way” to contain the now-emboldened Taliban, who were renewing their offensive against foreign troops. Nevertheless, additional funds or troops could not reassure security and peace in Afghanistan.
Second, the troops could protect Kabul until their withdrawal, as intelligence reports indicated that the Taliban would only take control over the capital city after the departure of foreign forces.
After intensive consultations and discussions, the Biden administration “refused to send another generation of Americans” to fight the Taliban, the release concluded.
Criticism About Withdrawal
No one at the White House or the Pentagon has been fired over the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Absolutely no accountability.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) March 29, 2023
This administration is a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/BhPTymQx8o
The withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan has long been criticised as hasty and unplanned. The failure of the operation has been blamed for the Taliban’s re-emergence to power.
In August 2021, the US sought to evacuate 120,000 people from Afghanistan and end its decades-long presence in the country. As an almost immediate result of the withdrawal, 13 US soldiers and 200 Afghans died.