Trump's transition team weighs possible court-martial for Afghanistan withdrawal leaders

President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is reportedly exploring the possibility of court-martialing senior current and former US military officers who were involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, according to a US official and a person familiar with the plan.

Sources indicate that the transition team is considering establishing a commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the US military's withdrawal, Caliber.Az reports, citing US media.

The review would focus on identifying key figures in the decision-making process, examining how the operation was executed, and potentially exploring charges as severe as treason against military leaders. "They're taking it very seriously," said a person with knowledge of the effort.

Potential Legal and Military Implications

The Trump team, led by Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence, is spearheading this initiative as part of a broader review of US involvement in Afghanistan, from the initial invasion to the final exit. Trump himself has repeatedly condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”

While Trump's team is considering recalling certain commanders to active duty to face possible charges, it remains unclear what legal basis could justify accusations of treason, especially since these military leaders were following orders from President Joe Biden to complete the withdrawal.

The Role of Pentagon Leadership Under Scrutiny

Trump’s reported pick for Secretary of Defense, Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth, has been a vocal critic of the withdrawal, labeling it a "humiliating retreat." In his book *The War on Warriors*, Hegseth argues that the Pentagon's senior leadership should be held accountable for failures during the withdrawal, particularly the deadly attack at Kabul’s Abbey Gate that resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians. He also highlights a subsequent US airstrike that mistakenly killed 10 Afghan civilians, including children.

“These generals lied. They mismanaged. They violated their oath. They failed. They disgraced our troops, and our nation,” Hegseth wrote. “They got people killed, unnecessarily.”

Divided Accountability: Trump and Biden Administrations

The Biden administration completed the final withdrawal but faced criticism for overestimating the capabilities of Afghan security forces to resist the Taliban's rapid advance. A 2022 independent review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic exit. Trump initially negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban in 2020, which included the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters and a timeline for US troop reductions.

Trump’s transition team appears intent on holding military leaders accountable for what it perceives as grave errors. However, legal experts note the difficulty of pursuing charges as extreme as treason without clear evidence of disloyalty or unlawful actions.

Trump's Lessons from the Past

Howard Lutnick, one of Trump’s top advisers during the transition, recently suggested that Trump regretted hiring what he referred to as “Democratic generals” during his first term. Former Trump officials have previously noted their efforts to advise against policies they viewed as detrimental to national security, including troop withdrawals from Syria and the use of active-duty forces during domestic protests.

As Trump's team prepares to take office in January, the possibility of revisiting the Afghanistan withdrawal could signal a new era of accountability measures against the military’s top brass, setting a contentious tone for Trump's second term in the White House.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment on these developments.

By Khagan Isayev