The Pentagon orders more interviews related to the Kabul airport suicide attack
The military is interested in the testimony of service members present at the Kabul airport during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. They are interested in interviewing military personnel and veterans, who were present during the attack, but who have not been interviewed about this attack. The Pentagon hopes to obtain new or different information than what previous interviewees provided.
From the Associated Press News:
Officials on Friday began informing family members of those killed in the bombing as well as members of Congress about the latest plan. Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, head of Army Central Command, is overseeing the team conducting the interviews, which is led by Army Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis. Gen. Kurilla has asked Frank to provide an update in 90 days.
In emotional testimony during a congressional hearing in March, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews told lawmakers that he was thwarted in an attempt to stop the suicide bombing . He said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred.
He said he and others spotted two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their rifle scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.
“No one was held accountable,” Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”
The March hearing was set up to examine the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabul’s fall turned the West’s withdrawal into a frenzy, putting the airport at the center of a desperate air evacuation by U.S. troops.
In April, President Joe Biden’s administration laid blame on his predecessor, President Donald Trump, for the deadly withdrawal. A 12-page summary of the results of the ” hotwash ” of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war asserts that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.
It acknowledges that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.
The Associated Press News has additional information.
Category: Afghanistan, Biden, Military issues
Those future interviews will never bring back those 13 Brave Servicemembers who lost their lives that day.
Rest In Peace.
Salute.
NEVER FORGET.
A bad plan poorly executed. Trump’s plan may have been better, may have been worse. It’s irrelevant. You don’t get to blame a plan you didn’t use. Joe and Milley own this.
Things didn’t take nearly as long as expected.
Once again, FJB!!
Well, he is partly right–the Taliban is not the NVA, they are not even the VC. Just shows what a clusterfuck that 20 years was, in spite of all the self-congratulatory BS from the diplomats and generals, which he no doubt believed.
Here’s an idea, let’s place the blame on a former Commander-in-Chief, whose agreement with the Taliban was tossed aside for the sake of “look at me!” politics. The debacle in Kabul rests squarely on Biden’s (and his handlers’) shoulders.
Now, let’s have low-level troops who were on the ground that day relive their experiences, their inability to prevent the attack (due to orders or lack thereof from their leadership), and the fact that one “misheard” response from command, or an on-the-spot call by an NCO on the ground, might have saved 13 American lives (and how many Afghans’?) at the expense of one POS suicide bomber who was going to Allah regardless of his success or failure.
My generation of Vets will be haunted by the fact that, like their predecessors in 1975, our Administration created an ugly withdrawal from a war that cost thousands of Americans’ lives. Like Vietnam, Afghanistan will not be known for the sacrifices made, nor for the years of American involvement. Rather, it will be remembered for our abrupt pullout from an unsecure airfield after giving up much better options.
Would you like another military disaster after a forever war?
Let’s follow that good idea fairy and bomb the Mexican cartels.
At least Afghanistan and Iraq were on the other side of the world and did not really affect the American civilian population.
“At least Afghanistan and Iraq were on the other side of the world and did not really affect the American civilian population.”
That’s got to be one of the coldest, most asinine comments I’ve ever seen. It’s like saying 9/11 was on the east coast, so California really wasn’t affected. Didn’t really think that one through, did ya.
Sorry, but I agree with Doc… One of the reasons we wasted 20 years and a thousand or more lives is precisely that the war in A’stan did not affect the majority of the American population. One of the reasons I support conscription—people pay a lot moe attention when they have skin, or a loved one’s skin, in the game. It’s really easy to tell folks “you volunteered for that shit, so stop your whining”.
So, just how was the American civilian population, not affected by this cluster fuck of a pullout? Not sure what you are getting at, but you missed it in fm2176’s post.
I wouldn’t worry about the cartels. This admin isn’t going to do anything at all regarding Mexico and our border with them!
It’s almost as if our politicians are being paid off by the Mexican government or the cartels. 🤷♂️🤔
There is no “as if” to this. Politicians “are” being paid off.
It really is amazing how those politicians, after years of underpaid sacrifice and hard work, retire as multi-millionaires.
“The debacle in Kabul rests squarely on Biden’s (and his handlers’) shoulders”
Perhaps you can explain to me how everything would have been just peachy if we had adhered to Trump’s schedule and evacuated even earlier. I keep asking, but for some reason nobody seems to have an answer for me.
I don’t think anyone has said it would’ve been “peachy” under Trump. What’s being said is Biden doesn’t get to blame Trump for his cockup. Trump might’ve had a worse outcome, we’ll never know. Would it have been better if Biden followed Trump’s plan? Again, we’ll never know and it doesn’t matter. Biden’s plan failed, he gets to own it.
“Biden’s plan failed,”
What plan? As far as I know he left the planning, and the execution of that planning, to the experts, as he should have.
The primary difference would have been in the “last out” orders. That would have been from Bagram, and the Taliban would not now be selling our abandoned equipment they don’t know how to use/service.
Was Trashcanistan destined to revert to the 7th Century shite-hole it is and has always been? I do believe so, no matter when we left. Biden just financed and accelerated the process for …reasons
“our abandoned equipment”
I think most of that equipment is the equipment we gave to the Afghan forces we trained and mentored for 20 years. We could hardly have repossessed all those weapons and all that equipment, could we?
I don’t know what you mean by “last out” orders.
And I don’t know what you mean by Biden “financed and accelerated the process”. He made a decision that was overdue by at least ten years, the same decision Trump made. Did the withdrawal “accelerated” the process? Arguably, but it also probably saved lives and money by shortening that process.
So pedo Joe completely undid EVERYTHING Trump started. But when it comes to Kabul, its all Trumps fault. You cant make this shit up.
Umm, no. If you were there, “I can’t remember” needs to be your only response. Information has come out that is highly detailed and specific, and could only come from sources who were there…which will be viewed as a violation of orders, protocols, insubordination, something.
They’re not asking, two-plus years later, to hold anyone accountable for this administration’s screwup. They’re looking to find discredit and destroy those who did or will talk.
Tell your stories to everyone but the government, military or elected. Tell me your stories and I’ll tell everyone everything except who you are. Ever.
What are they going to do to me? Take my first born?
I absolutely believe they’re going to hang whoever speaks up.
You made an excellent point. Thank you.
Roger that.
I would say you are being a bit paranoid, but….
Maybe too soon…
But I predict Phony Kabul Airport Veterans
will start coming out of the woodwork.
You know, JR Majewski types,
except with larger and longer tales (tails).
Oh goody, another investigation.
Why is the pentagon worried about it now instead of before, during or after it happened.
Are they having a moment where current investigation shows it is all on them, so now they are looking for some captain, Sargent or low level soldier they can blame this fiasco on ?
What?!? Surely you don’t mean to say “shit rolls downhill”?
The Kabul Debacle…
The only ‘bright’ part of this is, the US body count wasn’t quite as high as what the British suffered when they retreated to India from Afghanistan.
Joey in his rush to put his imprint on everything went full Butter Bar with his plan. Alas there was no one to stop him from his hare-brained scheme.
And thirteen American warriors paid with their lives, the last full measure that Joey could not even bother to pretend that he care for their sacrifice.
Tommy remembers.
Thank you, Mr. Atkins.
America remains the most successful invader of Asscrackistan ever. We conquered the place in a month, killed a sh*tload of insurgents and left when we felt like marking an anniversary (albeit not a year after wasting Osama bin Laden like we should’ve) instead of at their prodding. Britain got hassled into leaving and then had their entire force massacred when they did. Soviets lost as many over 9 years and left over the aggravation.
I dunno. Ghengis Khan held it from 1219 to 1332. Pretty good run.
Alexander the great also occupied the place for some time, but that place is also know as “The Graveyard of Empires”, let’s see how long the Chinese can exploit the place!
Okay, maybe within recent memory…
“his plan”
He didn’t have a plan. You are the first person I have read who even suggests he had a plan. Most people don’t even think he has the ability to make such a plan.
It sounds like they’re looking for anyone on whom they can place blame other than themselves. The buck stops with the least-senior acceptable rank.
Like how Abu Graib was blamed on the junior enlisted, because there’s no way they could hold a first-female commander to any scrutiny.
Her excuse for only visiting the installation every 90 days or so was that it was too dangerous.
And then she got caught stealing out of the PX.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you.”