Over One Thousand Americans Were Stranded In Afghanistan After Biden Evacuation

More than one thousand Americans were left stranded in Afghanistan following the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal of US troops, according to a new report from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In a two-page summary of the 115-page report, Republicans noted that the Biden administration had repeatedly claimed only “about a hundred” Americans were left behind in Afghanistan after the last U.S. military evacuation ended on Aug. 31, 2021. However, the report notes that “the State Department has evacuated more than 800 [US citizens] since that date. In addition, outside veterans groups have evacuated several hundred more – meaning more than 1,000 Americans were abandoned in a country controlled by a terrorist organization.”

The report also noted that the Taliban offered on Aug. 15, 2021, for the United States to provide its own security for the airport in Kabul instead of Taliban forces, but the Biden administration declined, which led to the chaos outside the airport and the bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.

“The lack of planning by the Biden administration and their refusal to accept the Taliban’s offer to secure Kabul during the NEO directly led to the bombing being so deadly. The chaos at the gates and the Taliban’s inability to control the perimeter meant that U.S. military personnel were closely packed together as they sought to screen would be-evacuees, placing them in a more vulnerable situation that was exploited by the bomber, contributing to the high number of casualties,” the report states.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul, who published the report, said, “This interim report proves much of the deadly chaos during the evacuation from Afghanistan could have been prevented if the State Department and NSC had properly prepared for the expected fallout from President Biden’s decision to unconditionally withdrawal from the country against the advice of his senior military advisors and NATO allies.”

“As a result of their failure to plan, America’s adversaries have been emboldened and Afghanistan is once again a safe haven for terrorists who want to attack the United States,” he added. “The State Department’s refusal to provide this committee with any of the requested information related to the withdrawal and the resulting evacuation will not stop me or any other Committee Republicans from continuing this investigation until all our questions are answered and people are held accountable. We owe this to the American people, and especially to our brave service men and women who served in Afghanistan and lost friends there.”