Hegseth orders full review of 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed department leaders to conduct a more comprehensive review of the military’s fatal 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a Tuesday memo from the department. Hegseth ordered a special review panel to examine all previous investigations and compile sources, witnesses, fact findings, and decision analyses that led to the event. Hegseth described the operation as chaotic and noted that 13 service members and 170 civilians were killed in a suicide bombing precipitated by the withdrawal. Defense officials spent months reviewing details of the event before deciding a comprehensive review was necessary, the secretary noted.

What will another review of the withdrawal do? The department is obligated to examine and release the facts of the withdrawal under the administration’s promise of greater transparency, Hegseth said. The comprehensive review will ensure accountability to the American people and service members, he added.

Dig deeper: Read previous reports by Lynde Langdon and Carolina Lumetta for more background on the withdrawal.