White House Summary Blames Trump Administration for Chaotic 2021 Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan

The White House has released a 12-page summary of the results of the so-called “hotwash” of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war. The summary takes little responsibility for its own actions and asserts that President Joe Biden was “severely constrained” by President Donald Trump’s decisions.

The Pentagon and State Department have completed separate after-action reviews on the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and have transmitted those reports to the relevant congressional committees. The reports are classified, but are believed to detail failures in U.S. intelligence and planning that allowed for the Taliban to swiftly take over Afghanistan in August 2021.

The reports are also believed to outline what failure of security near the Kabul airport that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and Afghans in an attack. The White House summary of the “hotwash” blames the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan on the Trump administration.

The summary also states that the Biden administration was “severely constrained” by the Trump administration’s decisions, which left the U.S. with few options for a successful withdrawal. The White House summary also noted that the Biden administration had to make difficult decisions in a short amount of time, and that it was “unable to achieve the desired outcome” of a safe and orderly withdrawal.

The after-action reviews are expected to provide a more detailed assessment of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and how the Biden administration can prevent similar situations in the future. The reports will also provide insight into the security failures that led to the deaths of U.S. service members and Afghans in the Kabul airport attack.