The Biden review blames Trump’s decisions for the chaos of Afghanistan’s withdrawal

A Critical Assessment of the Post-Relativistic Transition from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration: The End of the War in Afghanistan and the Implications for Americans and Afghans

“During the transition from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration, the outgoing Administration provided no plans for how to conduct the final withdrawal or to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies,” the assessment said. “Indeed, there were no such plans in place when President Biden came into office, even with the agreed upon full withdrawal just over three months away.”

The National Security Council document contains an assessment that gives the views of the Biden administration on the controversial withdrawal that resulted in deaths of American service members.

The assessment notes that in his last 11 months in office, Trump ordered a series of drawdowns of U.S. troops. The number was reduced from 8,5600 in June 2020 to 4,500 in September 2020.

President Biden led a thoughtful and inclusive decision-making process that was responsive to the facts on the ground, despite having his options limited. Kirby said that he focused on the need for proper planning.

The summary document does not admit any mistakes. Still, it acknowledges certain lessons that have been applied since, including on the speed of evacuating citizens and allies. And it cites intelligence that provided overly rosy projections of the security situation and notes Biden followed recommendations from his military commanders in executing the withdrawal.

Overall, the summary’s principal description is of a difficult situation made more onerous by Trump’s decisions when he was in office, including entering into an agreement with the Taliban requiring US troops to withdraw by May 2021.

Classified findings from the long-awaited reviews by the State Department and Pentagon were also transmitted to Congress on Thursday, fulfilling a White House pledge to provide the information following the bloody and chaotic withdrawal, which included a deadly bombing at Kabul International Airport that killed 13 US troops.

Trump’s spokesman said that Biden and his administration were trying to make the American people look bad because of the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan.

There were no signs that more time or money would have changed the trajectory of the war in Afghanistan.

There were attempts to withdraw Americans and Afghans who assisted the war effort. The image that came to mind was of the desperate Afghans who were clinging to the plane as it was about to take off.

After the chaotic attempts to evacuate US citizens and those who assisted the American war effort, the administration said it now works to facilitate departures earlier in other situations.

“We now prioritize earlier evacuations when faced with a degrading security situation,” the summary states, using the war in Ukraine as an example of earlier evacuations.

The Investigation of the Kabul Abelian Bombing Detection at the Kopenhagen International Airport (ArKangul) Airport

The after-action report was commissioned through the National Defense University, a defense official told CNN. The Defense Department funds the NDU, but officials have characterized the review as an independent one.

A bombing outside the Kabul International Airport’s Abbey Gate also killed 13 US service members – 11 Marines, 1 soldier and 1 sailor – along with approximately 170 Afghans.

After taking control of the House, Republicans requested documents and communications be part of their investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal.