May 20 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday announced the launch of a new “comprehensive review” of the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan to ensure those responsible face accountability.
In a memo, Hegseth said the Pentagon has been reviewing the withdrawal for the last three months and that he has concluded there is “need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.”
“The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get the facts,” he said.
“This remains an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform and is prudent based on the number of casualties and equipment lost during the execution of this withdrawal operation.”
There have been several government reviews of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was initiated in January 2020 under the first Trump administration and concluded in August 2021 during the Biden administration.
Some 124,000 Afghans, including 6,000 U.S. citizens, were evacuated from the country along with the exit of the U.S. military.
During the withdrawal, 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans were killed in the bombing at Kabul’s international airport.
Despite reports laying blame on both administrations, President Donald Trump, his officials and Republicans have repeatedly cast it as President Joe Biden’s operation. In a press release on Tuesday, Hegseth described it as “the Biden administration’s disastrous and embarrassing withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
Hegseth has directed his assistant for public affairs and senior advisor, Sean Parnell, to convene a Special Review Panel for the withdrawal.
“As a veteran who fought in Afghanistan, I feel the profound weight of leading the review of the disastrous 2021 withdrawal,” Parnell said in a statement on X.
“We have a moral obligation to get this right — for the generation who fought, the families of our service members & the heroes we lost.”
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a combat veteran, and writer Jerry Dunleavy, who led the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s investigation into the withdrawal, were named to the review.
Scheller was previously jailed for dereliction of duty and other charges for posting videos to social media criticizing top U.S. officials over the withdrawal.
“This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,” Hegseth said in the memo.
It was unclear exactly how much of the withdrawal would fall within the scope of the review, with the memo and press release on Tuesday emphasizing the suicide bombing at Kabul airport, suggesting it would be a main focus.
