White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'

The White House on Monday pushed back against a Republican-led report criticizing President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, calling it "partisan" and "offering little or nothing new."

The White House National Security Council communications adviser, John Kirby, on Monday defended President Biden's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, pushing back against a critical report released by Republican lawmakers.

Kirby told reporters that the GOP report, released two years after an initial report on the withdrawal, "says little or nothing new." He then provided a rundown of what he called "actual facts" that he considered important.

White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'

Kirby noted that when the Biden administration took office, the Taliban was in a strong position and the Afghan government was weak. He also mentioned the Doha Agreement, negotiated by the Trump administration, which mandated a complete U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of May 2021.

According to Kirby, the Doha Agreement included the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters from prison in exchange for the Taliban agreeing not to attack U.S. troops. He referred to testimony from former commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, who said the Doha deal had a demoralizing effect on the Afghan government.

White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'

Kirby stated that President Biden faced a choice between abiding by the flawed agreement and ending the longest war in U.S. history, or blowing up the deal, extending the war, and seeing American troops back in combat with the Taliban. Biden chose the former and was able to buy additional time for withdrawal preparations.

Addressing "falsehoods" in the report, Kirby asserted that evacuation planning began in the spring of 2021. He said the Department of Defense proposed additional military units in the region to facilitate a rapid response.

White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'

Kirby also stated that securing Bagram Air Base during the evacuation was not feasible, as it would have required thousands of additional U.S. troops and a dangerous trek by evacuees across Taliban territory.

Regarding allegations of U.S. equipment handover to the Taliban, Kirby clarified that the equipment was provided to Afghan security forces with congressional approval over the course of two decades. He said it was left behind by Afghan forces when they surrendered or stopped fighting.

White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'

Finally, Kirby emphasized that the Biden administration did not deceive, lie, or fail to be transparent during or after the withdrawal. He noted that the administration conducted its own after-action reports and shared them with the public.

In conclusion, the White House strongly criticized the GOP report on Afghanistan, maintaining that it offered no new information and that the administration handled the withdrawal to the best of its ability given the circumstances.

White House Blasts GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal, Citing 'Little or Nothing New'