Under attack from Republicans in Congress over one of the darkest moments of Joe Biden’s presidency, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Democrats should make the most of the worst withdrawal agreement struck by President Donald Trump. He defended his administration’s response to America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Blinken testified before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, facing questions and angry criticism from lawmakers in his final term. The top US diplomat was expected to leave for the Middle East in the afternoon, but his departure was delayed by back-and-forth with members, especially Republicans who advised a disorderly withdrawal as his defining legacy.
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Blinken said much of the blame for the sudden collapse of Afghanistan’s U.S.-allied government and the subsequent chaotic evacuation of Americans in August 2021 was with the Taliban in 2020, before President Trump left office. It was stated in the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the United States.
“President Biden had to make a choice: end the war or escalate the war,” Blinken told lawmakers. “Had he not followed through on his predecessor’s promises, attacks on our troops and allies would have resumed, and the Taliban would have begun attacks on the country’s major cities.”
But McCaul and other Republicans say Blinken and the Biden administration are unprepared and indifferent as the disaster unfolds, and that the Taliban will complete their takeover of the country before the last U.S. troops leave. It portrayed the government as trying to minimize the mounting evidence that it might be the case.
“This catastrophic event was the beginning of a foreign policy failure that set the world on fire,” said McCall, R-Texas. He called on Blinken to take “responsibility for the disastrous withdrawal.”
“It was clear it was going to be a disaster,” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, who will take over as committee chairman in the next Congress.
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The hearing came at the end of Mr. Blinken’s diplomatic mission under the Biden administration, with six weeks left until Trump’s inauguration, and at the end of Mr. McCaul’s time leading the Foreign Affairs Committee. . This ended nearly four years of hostilities between the two countries over the end of America’s longest war.
“For me, I am determined to learn the lessons from this experience and not just learn, but act on them,” Blinken said.
He added: “We have made the State Department stronger and better able to respond to a crisis when we see it or when we evacuate Afghanistan.”
After years of back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats, there have been few new developments regarding the U.S. withdrawal. Blinken on Wednesday pointed to the government-appointed review of the Afghanistan War Commission, expected to be released in 2026, as the best prospect for a complete independent report on the tragic events of summer 2021.
The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by US forces had successfully routed al-Qaeda militants responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and allowed Afghan fundamentalist Taliban militants to settle there. But once the U.S. began its withdrawal, as set out in President Trump’s agreement and as implemented by President Biden, Taliban fighters routed the U.S.-allied government and military and seized control of the country within months. did.
A bombing by a militant group at Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. military personnel and about 200 Afghans as Americans and their Afghan allies flocked to the airport to seek seats on the last U.S. military flight.
Blinken testified Wednesday that all “hundreds” of Americans and dual nationals stranded in the sudden scramble out of Afghanistan are now able to leave the country if they wish.
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At the beginning of his appearance before the committee, he expressed his condolences to the families of the U.S. soldiers who died in the evacuation. Protesters repeatedly interrupted his remarks by shouting “scum” and “genocide” until security removed them from the room.
Blinken said lower-ranking government officials said a U.S. withdrawal was a big mistake and that they needed to move quickly to remove Americans and Afghans who worked for and were allies to the United States and Americans. He denied Republican accusations that he ignored warnings.
“We expected Kabul to remain in Afghan government hands until the end of the year,” Blinken said. “This unfolded faster than we expected, including the intelligence community.”
“If you wait until the last moment, you’re not going to execute your plan,” McCall said.
Blinken’s testimony comes months after House Republicans released a scathing report on their investigation into withdrawal, blaming the Biden administration for the disastrous outcome. They downplayed Trump’s role in the failure, even though he signed a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban.
Previous investigations and analyzes by government-appointed Afghanistan special agents and some private policy groups have pointed to systemic deficiencies spanning the past four presidential administrations, placing the heaviest blame on Biden and Trump. concludes.
