Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a full department-level review of the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling the Biden administration’s handling of the exit “disastrous and embarrassing.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, Hegseth directly blamed the withdrawal for the deaths of 13 American service members and 170 Afghan civilians in the suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate on August 26, 2021. “President Trump promised accountability for what transpired during that military withdrawal, and I am committed to delivering on that promise,” he said.
Hegseth has appointed Sean Parnell, a decorated Army combat veteran and senior defense advisor, to lead a newly formed Special Review Panel. Parnell, who served 485 days in Afghanistan and was wounded in action along with the majority of his platoon, will reexamine past investigations into the Abbey Gate bombing, including those conducted by U.S. Central Command under the Biden administration.
Joining Parnell on the panel are Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a Marine officer who publicly criticized the withdrawal, and Jerry Dunleavy, a journalist and former lead investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Afghanistan probe.
“Sean and his team will look at the facts, examine the sources, interview witnesses, analyze the decision-making, and post-mortem the chain of events that led to one of America’s darkest moments,” Hegseth said. “They will provide updates at appropriate times to keep the American people informed of our findings and any directed actions.”
The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, ending a 20-year presence that began in response to the September 11 attacks.
