The US State Department has released a scathing report on the “detrimental consequences” of the country’s hasty and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The After Action Review (AAR) criticized both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden for failing to properly prepare for the swift collapse of the Afghan government.

The review stated that the decision made by the US government to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan had “serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security”, causing the Taliban to quickly take control of Kabul and prompting the collapse of the Afghan government. The review also blamed the Trump administration for failing to address a backlog and other issues with the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, a pathway for Afghans who worked with the US government to come to the country.

The State Department was also criticized for its failure to set up a crisis-management task force that could have overseen the situation in Afghanistan and cooperated with the Pentagon in case of an evacuation. The report echoed the findings of a previous White House report, which found that the Trump administration did not properly plan for the departure of American troops, despite authorizing the US withdrawal in a February 2020 deal with the Taliban.

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, but as American forces left Afghanistan, the Taliban took over the capital Kabul with lightning speed in August 2021.

The hasty withdrawal has attracted widespread criticism in the US and beyond, and the release of this report is likely to fuel further debate about the country’s role in Afghanistan and its impact on the Afghan people.

Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)