The U.S. blunders that caused the rapid collapse of
Afghanistan - after 20 years and $90 billion in funding: Government
report slams Pentagon's 'abrupt' withdrawal that left $7.2 billion of
weapons to the Taliban
The local Afghan military was not ready to fight the Taliban alone. Local morale was 'destroyed' when it seemed Americans were 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban government-in-waiting'
By Wills Robinson
Daily Mail
February 28, 2023
Poor planning by the U.S.
military before the withdrawal from Afghanistan and a lack of oversight
contributed to the rapid collapse of the government as the Taliban
overran the country in August 2021, a damning new watchdog report has
said
Poor planning by the U.S. military before the 'abrupt' Afghanistan withdrawal led to the rapid collapse of the Western-backed government as the Taliban overran the country in August 2021, a damning new watchdog report has said.
The
scathing analysis by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR) found the American decision to pull out
'destroyed the morale' of the Afghan National Security Force (ANDSF),
and the 300,000 local troops were destined to fail without U.S. support.
It
also details the more than $7 billion in weapons and equipment left for
the Taliban to use, and the widespread corruption that dominated the
Afghan military and government.
The withdrawal was 'abrupt and
uncoordinated' and gave war-ravaged locals the impression that the U.S.
was 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban
government-in-waiting', it continued.
The
report also criticized the failure to create 'an independent and
self-sustainable' Afghan security force, despite 20 years and $90
billion of support from the U.S., and blamed both President Biden and
President Trump for the bedlam.
Eighteen months ago, the world watched in
horror as Afghans desperately tried to flee on flights from Kabul's
Hamid Karzai's International Airport before the final Western troops
left.
Horrifying videos showed evacuees
clinging onto the outside of planes - causing some to fall - so they
could escape the regime that was closing on the capital.
The
chaos meant thousands, including locals who helped fight the war, were
left behind as the U.S. withdrew as the Taliban ran rampant.
Just a month earlier, Biden had insisted that the militant takeover of Afghanistan was 'not inevitable'.
'Together,
with our NATO allies and partners, we have trained and equipped nearly
300,000 current serving members of the military, of the Afghan National
Security Force, and many beyond that who are no longer serving', he told
reporters.
'We provided our Afghan
partners with all the tools — let me emphasize: all the tools, training,
and equipment of any modern military,' he added.
'We
provided advanced weaponry. And we're going to continue to provide
funding and equipment. And we'll ensure they have the capacity to
maintain their air force.'
But the
SIGAR report laid bare the holes in his assessment, and painted the
picture of Afghan security forces that threw down their weapons and
weren't prepared for the Taliban onslaught.
Nearly
$7.2 billion of aircraft, guns, vehicles, ammunition and specialized
equipment such as night-vision goggles and biometric devices were also
abandoned when U.S. forces withdrew, the report states.
This
includes at least 78 aircraft worth $923.3 million, 9,524 air-to-ground
munitions that cost $6.54 million, more than 40,000 vehicles, more than
30,000 weapons and nearly all electronic equipment.
Special
Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko
warned that it is 'likely unavoidable' that some of the weapons may end
up on the black market 'given the ongoing conflict and the unprecedented
volume of weapons being transferred to Ukraine'.
Among
the damning revelations was also the fact that U.S. forces often
handled tasks they were supposed to train Afghan forces to do.
It meant the local troops were underprepared, while the American military created an illusion of success.
The
'sense of abandonment' felt by Afghan forces was sparked by Trump's
2020 peace deal with the Taliban to start bringing troops home, SIGAR
stated in the report.
A Taliban fighter takes a picture of a damaged MD 530 helicopter that was abandoned at Kabul airport by retreating troops
The withdrawal was 'abrupt and
uncoordinated' and gave war-ravaged locals the impression that the U.S.
was 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban
government-in-waiting', the report continues. Members of the Taliban are
pictured celebrating a victory in March 2020
The ANDSF had relied on the U.S. for
making sure their salaries were paid, but the 2020 agreement 'made it
clear that this was no longer the case'.
There
was also a significant drop in U.S. airstrikes, and local security
forces lacked the 'professional military sophistication and leadership'
to replicate them.
'Because U.S. troops
were far more effective at fighting, they often led missions or filled
critical gaps in missions — providing close air support, airstrikes,
medical evacuation, logistics, and intelligence gathering — at the
expense of the ANDSF gaining experience fighting on its own,' the report
says.
'As a result, the ANDSF became overly reliant on borrowed capabilities.
SIGAR also claimed that the Pentagon did not cooperate fully with the investigation.
The Pentagon insisted that it did cooperate, and disputed some of the findings.
Army
Lieutenant Colonel Rob Lodewick, the Pentagon's Afghanistan spokesman,
told DailyMail.com: 'The Department of Defense is well aware of SIGAR's
recent report seeking to determine the factors that led to the collapse
of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
'Since SIGAR's inception, DoD has contributed to and facilitated their work- a fact the report echoes in its opening pages.
'DoD again contributed to this report and provided responses to SIGAR's requests for information.
'While
we take exception to SIGAR's assertions of non-cooperation, and address
them accordingly in our official response in Appendix II, the
Department will continue to facilitate SIGAR's work moving forward for
security and defense related matters concerning Afghanistan.
The
investigation submitted to Congress has sparked more calls from
Republicans investigating the lead-up to the withdrawal and oversight of
the enormous financial backing the U.S. gave the Afghan government.
Republican
Rep. James Comer, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Chairman, told DailyMail.com: 'The Biden Administration was tragically
unprepared for the Afghanistan withdrawal and their decisions in the
region directly resulted in a national security and human catastrophe.
'We are appreciative of SIGAR for completing this report at the request of the House Oversight Committee.
'SIGAR's insights into the collapse of the Afghan Security Forces will provide help to policy makers for years to come.
'However,
it is a shame that the Biden Administration stalled and delayed SIGAR's
completion of this report by not being responsive to inquiries in a
timely fashion.
'What do DOD, State,
USAID, and Treasury have to hide from the American people when it comes
to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan? Oversight Republicans are determined
to provide answers.'
Critics have also
pointed out how the SIGAR investigation shows that there has still been
no accountability for the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal.
Amy
Mitchell, former senior official at the Pentagon and State Department,
told DailyMail.com: 'On August 17, 2021, as chaos engulfed Afghanistan,
President Biden literally said, 'I am president of the United States and
the buck stops with me.'
'The new
report from SIGAR, however, unequivocally demonstrates this
administration's utter lack of responsibility and accountability for the
precipitous withdrawal.
'There are, and will continue to be, a lot of finger pointing as more investigations and reports are released.
'But
in the end, as the report shows, it was the Biden Administration's
decision to leave Afghanistan unprepared, while giving the country — and
millions in U.S. military equipment — to the Taliban.
'Driven
by the false and publicity hungry deadline of the 20th anniversary of
September 11, the Biden administration used poor judgement, poor
planning, and are now pointing the finger at others in what is
undeniably the worst U.S. foreign policy failure in more than half a
century.
'The result, almost two years
later, still no accountability and the surrender of the Afghan people to
the terror of the Taliban.'
Hung Cao,
retired Navy Captain who served in Special Operations for 25 years and
senior advisor with Polaris National Security, also told DailyMail.com:
'Gone are the days of leaders declaring "the buck stops here" and
meaning it.
'Instead, President Biden
and his team bear no responsibility for any of their actions in
Afghanistan, whether about the withdrawal or the drone strike that
mistakenly killed a US aid worker and innocent children,' added Cao, a
Republican House candidate who was defeated in the midterms.
'They
place the blame on everyone else around them. The President's decision
to disregard General Miller's proposal for leaving a quick reaction
force of 2500 troops in Afghanistan proved costly.
'His
unilateral withdrawal strategy resulted in a catastrophic situation,
leaving billions of dollars worth of equipment in the hands of the
Taliban and our allies stranded in a dangerous and uncertain
environment.
'When I served for
twenty-five years in the military, we were taught the three principles
of leadership: authority, responsibility, and accountability – all of
which Joe Biden has failed to possess as our Commander in Chief.'
Taliban forces showed off their
new military hardware during a victory parade in Kandahar last September
as they celebrated the retreat of U.S. forces and their capture of
Afghanistan
A Taliban fighter poses with a
US-made Afghan air force Blackhawk helicopter at Kandahar airfield in
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