US Republicans to expand Afghanistan withdrawal investigation The Washington Post

Republicans in the US Congress plan to widen their investigation into the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, with former President Donald Trump aiming to make this issue central in his criticism of Democrats ahead of the upcoming election.

The investigation, led by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will include testimonies from US military officers who were involved in the evacuation of Kabul in August 2021, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Washington Post.

Some of these officers have criticized the Biden administration’s decisions, particularly concerning the deaths of US military personnel during the chaotic withdrawal.

The committee seeks to gather additional witness testimony to further scrutinize the Biden administration’s role.

Trump's campaign is expected to focus heavily on this issue as a key point of criticism against his Democratic rivals, seeking to use the Afghanistan withdrawal as a political tool in the upcoming election.

In August 2021, the United States withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan, ending its military presence there after nearly 20 years. The US exit from Afghanistan resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country and created a refugee crisis as many Afghans fled. It also raised fears that terrorists might use Afghanistan as a safe haven, as was the case with Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaida leader who was discovered in the nation’s capital, Kabul, and killed in a US drone strike.