The Trump administration will likely release its review of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan before the American mid-term elections, an act that could reignite debates about the end of the 20-year war, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper reported on Monday, October 19, that current and former US military leaders are preparing for the report's publication. The review was ordered by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and includes interviews with several senior military officers who oversaw the withdrawal and the subsequent evacuation operation after the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021.
During his 2024 campaign, former President Donald Trump promised to hold accountable those involved in the Biden administration's decisions at the end of the Afghanistan war. Mr. Hegseth has stated he is committed to fulfilling this promise.
While the exact timing for the report's release is not yet clear, the Washington Post, citing informed sources, said its findings might be published before the November 3rd mid-term elections. According to them, the report could recommend disciplinary action against generals who were involved at the time.
Previous reviews of the Kabul evacuation have shown that several top US generals had repeatedly warned that a complete withdrawal of American forces could lead to the collapse of the Afghan government. These generals include Kenneth McKenzie, Mark Milley, and Austin "Scott" Miller.
At the time, Milley was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Biden's top military advisor. He and General McKenzie have said that the Trump administration's 2020 agreement with the Taliban for a full force withdrawal by spring 2021 played a significant role in the collapse of the Afghan government.
General Miller, who was the top US general in Afghanistan until one month before the evacuation, also told US lawmakers in a confidential interview that he had repeatedly warned about the rapid deterioration of the security situation after the withdrawal. In his words, Afghanistan had been "on fire" since March 2020, shortly after the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban.
Source: The Washington Post
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