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McCaul blasts Biden for failure to plan withdrawal from Afghanistan
The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul blasted the Biden administration in an interim report for its “complete lack and failure to plan” the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August last year.
McCaul said there were “many sins” committed during the botched pullout in Afghanistan.
“There was a complete lack and failure to plan. There was no plan and there was no plan executed,” McCaul said in an interview on CBS this week.
“I think the State Department probably didn’t have the resources it needed to carry out an evacuation of this size and enormity,” he continued.
The 118-page report, “A Strategic Failure: Assessing the Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal,” examines President Joe Biden’s efforts to comply with deadlines put in place in an agreement between former President Donald Trump and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and concentrates on the administration’s missteps that led to the disastrous evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies.
It also analyzes the decisions that led to US troops being pulled out of Afghanistan before American citizens and, how in the absence of the US military, the IEA quickly retook territory across the country and overthrew the government in Kabul.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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