White House Defends Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Amid Republican Criticism

White House Responds to Republican Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal

The White House issued a firm rebuttal on Monday regarding a new investigative report from House Republicans that criticized President Biden’s administration for the tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The administration asserted that the report presents “little or nothing new” while failing to acknowledge significant facts surrounding the event.

John F. Kirby, a national security spokesman for President Biden, addressed the media at the White House, delivering an extensive counterargument to the report released earlier that day. This response arrives more than three years after the chaotic withdrawal and just weeks before the upcoming November elections.

Mr. Kirby lambasted the report’s “one-sided partisan nature,” highlighting that it is not the first time Republicans have issued such findings. He pointed out, “This comes, of course, two years after their first report, and this one says little or nothing new.”

He emphasized that President Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan was in accordance with an agreement negotiated with the Taliban by former President Donald J. Trump prior to his departure from office. “Ending wars is more difficult than starting them,” Mr. Kirby remarked. “President Biden recognized that reality. He acknowledged the complexities involved. However, this does not imply that the decision to conclude this conflict was erroneous or that the withdrawal was not executed with the utmost professionalism and bravery given the circumstances. We deeply empathize with the families of those whose lives were tragically lost during the withdrawal, particularly at Abbey Gate on August 26 of that year.”

The report, compiled by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the Biden administration of disregarding security warnings, failing to develop a comprehensive evacuation plan, and misleading the public about the risks and errors that culminated in the deadly bombing at Abbey Gate, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members. The attack also resulted in the deaths of approximately 170 civilians, highlighting the chaotic and rushed evacuation as the Taliban took control. Nevertheless, Pentagon assessments have concluded that U.S. troops could not have prevented the ensuing violence.