OAN Staff James Meyers
1:49 PM – Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for the Pentagon to launch an investigation and detailed review into the botched Afghanistan withdrawal that transpired during the Biden administration in 2021.
During the time of the withdrawal, former President Biden abruptly called for U.S. troops to be removed from Afghanistan, though there was no real plan in place — according to servicemembers who spoke to the press.
The move resulted in thirteen U.S. service members being killed, during the chaotic withdrawal, after a suicide bombing took place at Abbey Gate — just outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Following the bombing, the Taliban quickly took back power in Kabul and confiscated a number of U.S. military-grade weapons and equipment. The U.S. Department of Defense estimated that approximately $7 billion worth of military equipment was left behind.
“The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts,” Hegseth said in a Tuesday memo. “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.”
Meanwhile, Hegseth has asserted that the Pentagon has already completed a full review over the “catastrophic” withdrawal, though they have not presented the findings to the public. The GOP defense secretary also argued that a full investigation is still necessary to hold accountable those who are responsible.
According to reports, Hegseth has now tasked Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to lead a special review panel to evaluate prior investigations, hoping to “analyze the decision making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments.”
“This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,” Hegseth said in the memo.
When President Trump returned to the White House this year, he stated to reporters that he intended to “fire every single one” of the military leaders responsible for overseeing the flawed withdrawal, holding them fully accountable for its failures.
In 2023, the Biden administration simply released a report stating that the Democrat president’s top intelligence officials did not correctly assess how quickly the Taliban would take back control of Kabul — after U.S forces departed.
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