US State Department: Preparations for withdrawal from Afghanistan were inadequate

The US State Department shared with the public a portion of the report that discusses the process of withdrawing US soldiers from Afghanistan.

With the “sudden collapse” of Ashraf Ghani’s government in Afghanistan and the entry of the Taliban into Kabul on August 15, 2021, the US State Department faces a task of “unprecedented scale and complexity.” , notes the report, prepared at the direction of Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“SERIOUS RESULTS”

In the report, which stated that many lessons should be learned from the withdrawal process from Afghanistan, on the other hand, it was argued that the existence of the US in Afghanistan for more than 20 years and what happened during its withdrawal had a character ” only”. .

The report assessed that the decisions by both former US President Trump and current President Biden to end the US military mission in Afghanistan have “grave consequences” for the survival and security of the Afghan government.

In the report, it was emphasized that the “worst-case scenario preparation” regarding the recall in both administrations and high-level assessments of how quickly this could happen were “inadequate.”

“A HUGE CHALLENGE”

The report said that the decision to withdraw US troops poses an “enormous challenge” to the State Department, and that even before the deal signed between the US and the Taliban in 2020, Trump signaled his intention to end the military presence in Afghanistan.

In the report, it was claimed that a number of key questions were left unanswered, including how the US will maintain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and what will happen to Afghans when the Trump administration leaves office.

In the report, which claimed that the Trump administration mishandled the process regarding special visas for Afghans, the work of the Biden administration was mentioned in this context.

In the report, while detailing how the Foreign Ministry worked after the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, some suggestions were made to be better prepared for a possible crisis.

Among these recommendations were recommendations on improving crisis preparedness and response capabilities, the determination of a special executive team to deal with the crisis, contact with politicians during this period and communication during the crisis. (AA)