Republicans Launch Probe Into US Military Withdrawal From Afghanistan

14 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Republican legislators have announced this Friday the initiation of an investigation into the military withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan during the summer of 2021, which allowed the return to power of the Taliban and the flight of thousands of citizens.

Republican Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked the State Department led by Antony Blinken for documents related to the withdrawal of troops from the Biden Administration.

McCaul has given a January 26 deadline for a response, threatening subpoena power in the event the department fails to comply with the request.

“It is imperative that the Department of State provide complete responses to these long-standing requests, and the Committee will not tolerate continued delays,” the Texas representative wrote in a letter sent to Blinken to which has had access.

In the event of non-compliance, the Committee will use available authorities to enforce these requests as necessary, including through a mandatory process.

The 10-page letter has requested a list of all meetings held by US authorities at the inter-agency level, as well as with the Taliban since January 2021.

The intention of this investigation, as McCaul has pointed out, is to delve into the planning of the withdrawal process and to elucidate the subsequent effects of the withdrawal.

The Republican Party has sent the Department several requests over the past year, but lacking a majority in the House, Blinken did not provide the requested information. Now that the Republicans have obtained a majority in the House of Representatives, they can legally demand that the Administration grant the indicated documents.

The State Department did its own review of the withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, though the results have yet to be released, despite the fact that the report was completed more than 10 months ago, multiple sources have told .