Afghanistan withdrawal investigator resigns in protest from GOP probe

A senior investigator has resigned from the Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee probe into the Biden administration’s deadly and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, accusing the panel of holding back its full power in examining the failures of the U.S. pullout.

Jerry Dunleavy, a former journalist and author of a book detailing first-person accounts of the withdrawal, posted his resignation letter Monday to social platform X. He described himself as a whistleblower, criticizing the committee as suffering from “investigative paralysis.”

Efforts to pursue investigative leads were “repeatedly stymied by our chief investigator and by senior staff, and unfortunately, sometimes by indecision from you, Mr. Chairman,” Dunleavy wrote in the letter, referring to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

In a phone call with The Hill, Dunleavy said he was motivated to speak out publicly ahead of the November election to raise an urgency to go after interviews with key administration officials and dig deeper into the responsibility of the military generals and commanders while Republicans are still in the majority in the House.

“There is definitely a significant bias from the chairman, downward, toward not really looking to hold the military commanders and generals accountable for what happened,” Dunleavy said.

He described committee members treating retired Gens. Mark Milley and Kenneth McKenzie with “kid gloves” during a March hearing. Milley served as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during both the Trump and Biden administrations, and McKenzie is the former commander of United States Central Command.

Dunleavy further said that the committee has taken “zero steps” to look at Vice President Harris’s role in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying “I have received pushback from my superiors related to taking action on this.”

“I have argued repeatedly that Vice President Kamala Harris should be held accountable for her role in the debacle in Afghanistan, especially now that she is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States and could soon be making national security decisions and directing foreign policy for our entire nation,” Dunleavy wrote in his letter.

Emily Cassil, a spokesperson for committee Republicans, responded to Dunleavy’s resignation by saying McCaul “pours his heart and soul into getting answers for our Gold Star families and Afghanistan veterans” and pointed to the committee’s expected publication in September of its final report looking at the decisionmaking surrounding the U.S. pullout.

Separately, a Republican committee aide pushed back on Dunleavey’s assertion that the vice president was off limits, adding that her role in the withdrawal would be addressed in the September report.

McCaul has made investigating President Biden’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan a centerpiece of his agenda heading the committee, promising to discover how the two-decade war culminated in a deadly and chaotic end in which 13 U.S. service members were killed in a terrorist attack, along with roughly 170 Afghan civilians.

But Democrats have criticized McCaul as carrying out a partisan investigation that fails to look at former President Trump’s role in setting up the conditions for the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, as well as decisions by previous administrations from Presidents Bush and Obama.

McCaul’s staff published an interim report in August 2022 that detailed a lack of planning on the part of the administration and analyzed a series of missteps and errors that complicated the withdrawal.

The final Republican committee report is expected to be based on more than 20 transcribed interviews with administration officials involved in the withdrawal and conclusions drawn from at least five public hearings carried out over the course of the year.

The U.S. military and diplomatic withdrawal from Afghanistan is largely viewed as one of the darkest moments in Biden’s term in office. Over a fraught two weeks in August 2021, the U.S. watched the Taliban advance a lightning offensive to take over the country, sweeping through Kabul as the internationally recognized Afghan government and military crumbled.

The administration evacuated an estimated 125,000 people over those two weeks, but tens of thousands of vulnerable Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces were initially left behind, and pathways to immigration to the U.S. got caught up in a bureaucratic backlog.

The withdrawal was marked by hectic scenes of civilians mobbing Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport and departing planes. A deadly terrorist bombing by the group ISIS-K left more than a dozen U.S. forces dead.

“I don’t want there to be more unnecessary Gold Star families in the future,” Dunleavy told The Hill.

“That’s what I worry about, if we don’t pursue real accountability and pursue real answers here is that there aren’t going to be lessons learned. There’s not going to be accountability, no one’s going to feel like there needs to be a big mindset change. No one’s gonna really absorb the fact that this was a big loss. We lost a two decade war, and we better get serious if we don’t want to lose the next one.”

Afghanistan withdrawal investigator resigns in protest from GOP probe
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Trump criticizes Biden’s Afghanistan policy as ‘Greatest Folly’

On Monday evening, August 12th, former US President Donald Trump criticized the policies of current President Joe Biden regarding the Taliban during a public discussion on X. He described the transfer of Afghan funds to the Taliban as “the greatest folly in U.S. history.”

Meanwhile, Trump labeled the Taliban as the “largest illegal arms dealer” in the world.

Trump’s remarks appear to reference Afghanistan’s foreign assets in the U.S., which are currently held in a Swiss bank under the supervision of the Afghan trust fund, with the Taliban not having access to them.

Trump has previously claimed that the Biden administration left behind approximately $85 billion worth of U.S. military equipment in Afghanistan, which he asserts fell into the hands of the Taliban.

In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, where he formally accepted the party’s nomination for the upcoming presidential election, Trump stated that the Taliban had become the world’s largest seller of American weapons through their sales of these arms.

While Trump did not specify which countries or groups the Taliban might be selling American weapons to, there have been prior reports of such equipment being spotted in Pakistan, Kashmir, and even Palestine.

U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan following the signing of the Doha Agreement on February 2020, which was signed by Trump’s administration and implemented during Biden’s presidency.

Trump’s statements bring renewed attention to the controversial aspects of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ongoing impact of the Taliban’s access to American military equipment.

As the debate over the handling of Afghanistan assets and military resources continues, these issues remain a significant point of contention in U.S. political discourse.

Trump criticizes Biden’s Afghanistan policy as ‘Greatest Folly’
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Border Conflict at Torkham Claims Three Lives

Local residents reported that Pakistani forces occasionally fire on their homes, forcing them to abandon their properties.

Three people were killed and three others injured during a clash on Monday afternoon between Islamic Emirate forces and Pakistani border guards at the Torkham crossing.

The Ministry of Interior reported that the violence was sparked by an attack from Pakistani forces, which led to a retaliatory exchange of fire. In the confrontation, two Pakistani military posts were destroyed.

The conflict arose over the construction of a security post on Afghan soil.

Abdul Matin Qani, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, commented on the clash, saying: “Afghan border forces were fired upon, forcing us to respond. As a result, two of their posts were destroyed. They targeted civilian areas, and as a result, a woman and two children were martyred.”

Asadullah, a border soldier, said about the clash: “We were building a post on our own land when Pakistani forces opened fire on us. We gave them a decisive response.”

Local residents reported that Pakistani forces occasionally fire on their homes, forcing them to abandon their properties.

Lal Mohammad, a local resident, said: “Shells came from the Pakistani side, and a woman and two children in one of our neighbor’s houses were martyred, with others injured.”

Khalid, another resident, said: “There is no one left in the village; just one or two people remain. When rockets come from Pakistan, they hit houses. Pakistan is targeting people’s homes.”

Following yesterday’s clash, the Torkham crossing has been closed to all movement, leaving hundreds of people, including patients, stranded on both sides of the border. In addition, hundreds of cargo trucks have also been halted.

Drivers and local residents called on both sides to resolve the issues through dialogue rather than armed conflict.

Khan Shinwari, a local resident, said: “Such clashes happen frequently here, displacing people. Yesterday, a woman and two children were martyred in this house.”

Taj Maluk, one of the drivers, said: “I am a truck driver, and I was carrying onions. This is the second night we’ve been stuck here, and the onions are spoiling.”

Torkham is one of the country’s key trade crossings, but due to clashes between Islamic Emirate forces and Pakistani border guards, it is occasionally closed, causing significant losses for travelers, drivers, and traders.

Border Conflict at Torkham Claims Three Lives
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West: Efforts Ongoing for Release of Americans in Afghanistan

West added that Ryan Corbett and Mahmood Habibi were arrested in Afghanistan on this day two years ago.

US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West said there are continued efforts to secure the release of three American citizens held by the Afghan interim government. 

The US special envoy for Afghanistan said: “We will and we must continue every effort to bring them and George Glezmann home to their families.”

“The American individuals imprisoned in Afghanistan might be released or exchanged with Afghan prisoners in the US by the Islamic Emirate as it seeks to establish good relations with the US,” said Saleem Paigir, a political analyst.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a statement seeking information about Mahmood Habibi, an American citizen of Afghan origin. According to the statement, Mahmood Habibi was an employee of a telecommunications company in Afghanistan who was arrested on August 10, 2022, along with 29 other employees. All the other employees have been released except Mahmood Habibi.

The FBI statement reads: “The FBI is seeking information into the disappearance of Mahmood Shah Habibi in 2022 in Afghanistan. Mr. Habibi is an Afghan-American businessman, and he worked as a contractor for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs criticized the Biden administration, saying it has no plan to free Ryan Corbett. He claimed that this American citizen is being tortured in Afghanistan.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs wrote: “Despite repeated requests, President Biden has still not met with Ryan’s wife Anna or their family. Ryan’s mental and physical health is deteriorating daily, yet the Biden-Harris administration still has no plan to bring him home.”

“These reports of their torture have not been documented and there is no evidence; these claims are being used merely for election campaigns and to blame one another,” said Samiullah Ahmadzai, a political analyst.

At the same time, Ryan Corbett’s wife has asked the US President to fulfill his promise regarding her husband’s release.

Anna Corbett, Ryan Corbett’s wife, said: “I have written emails, I have asked to meet with him — they’ve all been ignored. He broke his promise to me.”

The Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on this matter; however, previously, a spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate had said that they discussed a prisoner exchange with US representatives on the sidelines of the third Doha meeting.

West: Efforts Ongoing for Release of Americans in Afghanistan
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Afghanistan begins new Polio Vaccination campaign

The Afghanistan Polio-Free Organization has announced that a polio vaccination campaign has commenced today, August 10, in several regions of the country.

In a public note, the organization urged citizens to do their part in achieving a “Polio-Free Afghanistan.”

The organization did not provide details on the number of children expected to receive the vaccine during this campaign.

According to reports, the campaign will last for four days across the country.

Previously, the head of the Polio Eradication Operations Center at the Ministry of Public Health mentioned that during this campaign, 4.2 million children under the age of five in the provinces of Herat, Uruzgan, Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, and Nimroz would be vaccinated.

It is noteworthy that Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not yet been eradicated.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, six positive cases of polio were recorded in Afghanistan in 2023.

The ongoing efforts to eradicate polio in Afghanistan face significant challenges, including access to remote areas, ongoing conflict, and public awareness. These factors make it imperative for both local communities and international organizations to collaborate closely to ensure the success of vaccination campaigns.

Meanwhile, the current vaccination drive is a step forward; sustained efforts, comprehensive coverage, and continued international support are crucial to finally eradicating polio from Afghanistan. The goal of a polio-free Afghanistan can only be achieved through persistent and coordinated efforts at all levels of society.

Afghanistan begins new Polio Vaccination campaign
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Acting Interior Minister Reaffirms Commitment to General Amnesty Decree

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani traveled to Paktia and Paktika provinces to resolve ethnic disputes among residents of several districts.

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Minister of Interior, stated during visits to the provinces of Paktia and Paktika that the general amnesty decree in the country has not been violated and that there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Haqqani also emphasized that since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, many hostilities between ethnic groups in the country have turned into friendships.

Regarding the non-violation of the general amnesty decree, he said, “In these three years of the Emirate’s rule, no one can prove that an individual from the previous regime has been executed or killed. Even the courts have postponed their personal cases.”

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani traveled to Paktia and Paktika provinces to resolve ethnic disputes among residents of several districts.

Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, accompanied the acting Minister of Interior on this trip.

Both ministers emphasized the resolution of ethnic conflicts in the country and announced the resolution of a century-old dispute between four tribes over land and mountains in Paktia and Paktika provinces. According to them, this conflict has claimed nearly 100 lives over time.

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani said, “May God help other ethnic groups to follow your example by sitting down and turning bad into good. Just like last year, when the Sarkheil tribe honored us by turning a 70- to 80-year-old enmity into friendship.”

Khalil Rahman Haqqani said, “You appoint your representatives, and we will appoint ours. We will go to the area with the district officials and hand over the lands.”
The formerly conflicting parties, who have now embraced friendship, urged other ethnic groups with ongoing disputes to put an end to their hostilities.

Previously, the Ministry of Borders, Tribes, and Ethnicities reported that over 2,200 ethnic disputes have been resolved nationwide since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate.

Acting Interior Minister Reaffirms Commitment to General Amnesty Decree
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Zabihullah Mujahid: Daesh in Afghanistan No Longer a Threat

Mujahid said that the geography of Afghanistan is under the complete control of the Islamic Emirate.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has dismissed Western countries’ concerns about the activities of Daesh and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan as baseless and mere propaganda.

Mujahid said that the geography of Afghanistan is under the complete control of the Islamic Emirate, and no foreign or domestic rogue groups are allowed to operate.

Zabihullah Mujahid stated: “Afghanistan has fought seriously against the phenomenon of Daesh, and their centers in Afghanistan have been completely destroyed. The remaining two percent are under the surveillance of Afghan security forces. This phenomenon does not pose a threat to Afghanistan and cannot pose a threat to anyone.”

Earlier, Vladimir Voronkov, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, claimed during a Security Council meeting that Daesh and several other terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan.

Voronkov said: “The activity of Da’esh and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan remains a significant concern. We must unite to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hotbed of terrorism,”

Representatives of the United States and Russia also described the Khorasan branch of Daesh as a threat to Afghanistan and the region during the Security Council meeting, emphasizing the importance of the Islamic Emirate fulfilling its commitments in the fight against Daesh.

Robert Wood, the Deputy US Representative to the United Nations, said: “The Taliban have made efforts to counter ISIS-K, and it is critical they adhere to their counterterrorism commitments.”

Previously, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister, had stated in a meeting in Kabul, without naming any specific country, that three neighboring countries are supporting the Daesh group.

Zabihullah Mujahid: Daesh in Afghanistan No Longer a Threat
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Militants stage deadly raid on Pakistani army posts near Afghan border

A raid in the volatile district of Khyber, Pakistan, on Aug. 9, 2024, killed five security personnel and injured at least 12 more.
A raid in the volatile district of Khyber, Pakistan, on Aug. 9, 2024, killed five security personnel and injured at least 12 more.

A group of heavily armed militants launched coordinated attacks on two Pakistani military posts near the border with Afghanistan Friday, reportedly killing several security personnel and wounding many more.

Multiple area security sources confirmed the predawn raid in the volatile border district of Khyber, telling VOA that it resulted in the death of at least five security personnel and injuries to at least a dozen more. Ensuing clashes with Pakistani security forces reportedly also killed several assailants.

The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, did not respond to VOA inquiries seeking details of the assault in time for publication.

Militants tied to an outlawed entity known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media post.

The group has stated publicly that its fighters are waging insurgent attacks in coordination with the globally designated terrorist organization Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

Militancy-hit Khyber and surrounding border districts often encounter deadly attacks aimed at Pakistani security forces and their facilities.

Pakistan complains that the TTP and leaders of other antistate groups have taken shelter in Afghanistan after fleeing counterinsurgency operations and orchestrated cross border attacks from sanctuaries there.

The violence has intensified and killed hundreds of Pakistanis, mostly security forces, since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan three years ago.

The de facto Taliban government denies the presence of foreign militants in the country, insisting that it does not allow anyone to threaten other countries, including Pakistan, from Afghan soil.

UN: Afghan Taliban increase support for anti-Pakistan TTP terrorists

The United Nations has backed Pakistani assertions, noting in its latest situation report that the TTP is “the largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan and receives growing support from the ruling Taliban to launch cross-border attacks.

The report, released last month, estimates that up to 6,500 TTP militants, including Afghan fighters, are operating in Afghanistan and being trained as well as armed at al-Qaida-run camps there.

U.N. officials have repeatedly warned about the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, identifying Islamic State Khorasan, or IS-K, an Afghan offshoot of Islamic State, as the most serious regional threat.

UN sees rising threat of IS-Khorasan attacks outside Afghanistan

The head of the U.N. counterterrorism office told a Security Council meeting on Thursday that IS-Khorasan has intensified its recruitment efforts in Afghanistan and that there is a risk of the group carrying out attacks abroad.

“ISIL-K has improved its financial and logistical capabilities in the past six months, including by tapping into Afghan and Central Asian diasporas for support,” Vladimir Voronkov said, referring to the terror organization by an acronym.

The Taliban have not commented on the latest U.N. assertions and previously rejected such assessments as propaganda against their government.

The fundamentalist de facto Afghan rulers claim their security forces have eliminated IS-Khorasan bases in the country and degraded the group’s ability to threaten national security and that of the region.

Militants stage deadly raid on Pakistani army posts near Afghan border
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Arg: UK Seeks to Enhance Diplomatic Relations with Islamic Emirate

He added that the restrictions imposed on the Islamic Emirate are not a solution to the current challenges.

Robert Chatterton Dickson, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the UK Mission to Afghanistan, said that he is striving to improve political relations and positive interactions between Kabul and London.

The Presidential Palace (Arg) in a statement said that Dickson, in a meeting with Mawlawi Zakir, head of the political deputy PM’s office, said that his country is cooperating in developing global relations with the Islamic Emirate.

The statement from Arg reads: “Robert Dickson said that he is working to repair political relations and foster positive engagement between the Islamic Emirate and Britain. He considered the meeting of the Political Deputy of the Prime Minister with foreign diplomats in Doha to be positive, and according to him, many issues were clarified, and concerns were addressed.”

“If the UK genuinely desires, it can steer Afghanistan’s relations with the world and the world’s relations with Afghanistan towards compatibility,” said Edris Mohammadi Zazai, a political analyst.

The Arg statement also said that Mawlawi Zakir, in this meeting, described positive relations with the world as the priority of the Islamic Emirate’s foreign policy and added that a high-level governmental commission has been established in the fight against narcotics.

He added that the restrictions imposed on the Islamic Emirate are not a solution to the current challenges.

The press release from Arg added: “He stated that the restrictions imposed on Afghanistan are not a solution and that their significant harm is directed at the people. The General Director of the Office of the Political Deputy of the Prime Minister called for the immediate implementation of the commitments made during the third Doha meeting and added that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to its promises, and to effectively combat narcotics, a high-level Emirati commission has been established, demonstrating the Islamic Emirate’s commitment.”

“In this meeting, discussions were held on what the international community had pledged and committed to during the third Doha meeting, which includes alternative livelihoods and humanitarian aid,” said Samiullah Ahmadzai, a political analyst.

Earlier, the Political Deputy of the Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, asked foreign diplomats in Qatar to reopen their political missions in Kabul.

Arg: UK Seeks to Enhance Diplomatic Relations with Islamic Emirate
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Washington Reiterates Concern Over Americans Held in Afghanistan

Matthew Miller, State Department spokesperson, said that returning US citizens imprisoned in Afghanistan to Washington is a priority for them.

The United States has once again called for the release of three American citizens from the custody of the interim government.

Speaking at a press briefing, Miller said: “We are deeply concerned about the well-being of Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan – Mahmood, Ryan, and George Glezmann – and raise their detentions in every engagement we have with the Taliban. Bringing them home will continue to be a top priority for the United States as we work to obtain their release.”

At the same time, some experts are urging the Islamic Emirate to resolve this issue through political engagement and the exchange of prisoners between the two sides.

“It is necessary that interaction between the two foreign ministries is considered and conducted according to principles,” said Hadi Quraishi, a military affairs expert.

“Today, three American citizens are in Afghanistan. The whole world and the United Nations are requesting their release. Don’t the Afghans detained in America have any friends or family? This is in line with diplomatic relations, that prisoners of each side be released according to the law,” said Zakerullah Amirzadeh, another military affairs expert.

Although the Islamic Emirate has not commented on this matter, it previously said that the US must consider the conditions of the interim government regarding the release of its detained citizens.

Washington Reiterates Concern Over Americans Held in Afghanistan
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