U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday, May 20, ordered a “comprehensive review” of the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The withdrawal led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and 170 civilians, killed in a suicide bomb attack outside the Kabul airport.
“President Trump and I have formally pledged full transparency for what transpired during our military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts,” Secretary Hegseth wrote in a memo to senior Pentagon leadership.
Previous reviews and testimony
Officials have previously conducted numerous reviews of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
High-ranking U.S. military leaders, such as then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and then-U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, have testified before members of Congress.
The Biden administration said the chaotic and disorderly outcome of the pullout was mainly due to decisions made earlier by the Trump administration, citing its 2020 agreement with the Taliban and the drawdown of U.S. troops as key factors.
Sean Parnell to lead special review team
Hegseth is directing Sean Parnell, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and senior advisor, to lead a team that will investigate the deadly U.S. military withdrawal. The Pentagon chief suggested the review will dig into previous investigations, reassess the facts and decisions made, and aim to hold people accountable to the public and the military.
“This team will ensure accountability to the American people and the warfighters of our great nation,” Hegseth wrote.
Parnell is a combat veteran who previously served in Afghanistan for 16 months between 2006 and 2007 and was injured in combat.
Special panel members announced
The Defense Department also announced Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a Marine officer who has received combat honors and publicly criticized the Afghanistan withdrawal and Jerry Dunleavy, an author, journalist and investigator who helped lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal, will both serve on the special review panel.
“Sean and his team will look at the facts, examine the sources, interview witnesses, analyze the decision making, and post-mortem the chain of events that led to one of America’s darkest moments,” a press release from the DOD states.
