An active-duty Marine grievously wounded in the evacuation of Kabul is among those due to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
last year reconstructing events surrounding the airport bombing, has disputed parts of the Pentagon’s account of the incident, contending he had identified the suspected suicide bomber among those clamoring to get inside — only to be told no upon seeking his commanders’ approval to shoot the man dead.
Wednesday’s testimony marks the first in what could be a series of hearings while lawmakers examine how, amid the Western-backed government’s collapse, security in Afghanistan unraveled and left tens of thousands vulnerable as the Taliban seized power. The airport became ground zero for a crisis that unfolded over two weeks as more than 124,000 people were flown to safety but thousands of others were left behind.
“What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level — and a stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration,” said Rep. Michael McCaul , chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “As a result, the world watched heartbreaking scenes unfold in and around the Kabul airport.”
At peak disorder, thousands of Afghans choked the streets outside the airfield for days as U.S. military personnel and Taliban foot soldiers, in a hastily reached agreement, sought to enforce security. U.S. troops have described witnessing regular beatings — even executions — but they were ordered not to intervene.
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