The departure of American soldiers from Afghanistan and an end to this longest conflict in US history was already promised by Barack Obama. They were also promised by Donald Trump, who initiated peace negotiations between the government in Kabul and the Taliban to this end. Joe Biden took that promise and decided to keep it. NS.The evacuation turned out to be one of the greatest American foreign policy failures in history, and many politicians — not just Republicans — believe Biden and his people are directly responsible for it.
internal control
Politico portal accessed an internal memo from the State Department on 15 October. It turned out that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) had begun a series of investigations into what the US Secretary of State was doing before and after the evacuation. The Office of the Inspector General is an internal unit that oversees the work of a particular department. Dana Shaw, a lawyer who began her career in Washington under Donald Trump, is currently the inspector general at the State Department.
According to Politico, the SIGIR investigation will focus on the most controversial aspects of the evacuation from Afghanistan within the State Department’s purview. NS.One of them relates, for example, to the evacuation of the US Embassy in Kabul, which, contrary to Biden’s previous declarations, turned into a panicked flight of diplomats who, in scenes very similar to the evacuation from Saigon, were picked up from a roof by helicopters. This investigation will also include US and Afghan nationals working with coalition forces who were left in their homes at the mercy of the Taliban. It is known that at the time of the evacuation in Afghanistan several hundred Americans remained, but it is difficult to estimate their current number, since many of them were able to get out thanks to the help or support of non-governmental organizations. King. “
Another investigation is related to the so-called Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). These were special visas granted to Afghans whose lives were in danger due to prior cooperation with coalition forces and their families. It will also cover the reception and transfer of Afghan refugees under the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The SIV investigation will be of particular interest to congressional politicians who have previously inquired about issues with their extradition. The program, launched in 2009, was intended to pave the way for US citizenship for Afghans helping coalition forces. This was especially true of the translators, who not only risked reprisals from the Taliban for their cooperation with the Americans, but also often accompanied American soldiers in combat operations, risking their lives on an equal footing with them. But from the start, the program has been plagued by many delays and problems with bureaucracy. When the eviction began, there were as many as 18,000 late visa applications in the system.
Information sent to the conference
As Politico reported, Shaw informed Congress on Monday. She wrote in a letter to the leaders of international relations and intelligence committees in the House and Senate.
When asked about it, OIG spokesman Ryan Holden admitted that his office had initiated such investigations. But he stated that the word “investigation” should not be used against them, because these “projects” were designed to evaluate the activities of the State Department, but did not exhaust the definition of an official investigation.
The Pentagon’s inspector general is also conducting his investigations. So far, his office has admitted opening three investigations. The first would be a failed drone strike in response to a bloody attack on Kabul airport that killed ten civilians instead of ISIS terrorists. The second relates to the process of screening Afghan refugees for potential terrorists, and the third relates to how the Department of Defense supports their resettlement in the United States. Politico is informed of the possibility of further investigation. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, who has overseen the money the US government has invested in reconstruction since 2008, may also begin his investigation.
In addition to these investigations, a number of congressional subcommittees have begun their own investigations. There have also been congressional hearings by members of the Biden administration regarding this eviction. But the politicians involved did not hide their frustration. They publicly claimed that the officials interviewed—particularly at the Departments of State and Defense—preferred to blame other officials rather than explain what happened and learn from their failures.
special commission
More and more people believe that in such a situation it may be necessary to create a special commission, similar to the commission that followed the 9/11 attack. Indeed, Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Rick Scott have introduced a bill. However, many commentators believe that despite the outrage of many Democrats against Biden, the evacuation is so politically devastating for the left that it will have to wait until Republicans regain majorities in both houses of Congress for a comprehensive report on it.
Źródło: politiko, hill
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