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Kabul: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he does not have any “regrets” about how the U.S. military left Afghanistan in August 2021.
The secretary faced questions about the withdrawal on Wednesday when he and two other defense officials testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee about the president’s 2024 defense budget request.
He was asked if he had regrets about the withdrawal, to which he responded, “I support the president’s decision.”
U.S. President, Joe Biden had announced the troops were departing Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2021, the 20-year anniversary of the attacks that prefaced the war. But, in August, the Taliban launched a military offensive and quickly began amassing territory before ultimately overthrowing the U.S.-backed Ghani government, American media reported.
Austin was asked if there has been any accountability for anyone within the Department of Defense for the “deadly, botched, and embarrassing” withdrawal, and he responded, “Our troops evacuated 124,000 people off that airfield.”
“Has anyone been held accountable for what happened in Afghanistan?” Austin was asked again, to which the secretary responded, “To my knowledge, no.”
Last week, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of U.S. Central Command who oversaw the withdrawal, told the Washington Examiner that he supports congressional oversight of the war.
A number of House committees have also sought documents from Biden administration regarding the withdrawal.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week. He has demanded a copy of a July 13, 2021, cable signed by over two dozen U.S. Embassy members in Kabul criticizing the preparations for the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
