State Department Report Finds Insufficient Planning and Communication Led to U.S. Military Withdrawal and Evacuation from Kabul in 2021

The State Department released an unclassified version of its Afghanistan “After Action Review” report on Friday, which found that both the Trump and Biden administrations had “insufficient” planning and a lack of clear communication and decision-making leading up to the military withdrawal and evacuation from Kabul in 2021.

The review, which was based on more than 150 interviews with current and former State Department officials as well as supporting documents, found that the State Department had failed to do enough planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan. It also blamed the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for their efforts before and after the August 2021 departure of U.S. forces from Kabul.

Republicans have accused Biden of not taking responsibility for intelligence failures leading up to the Taliban’s seizure of the country and for the scenes of chaos at Kabul’s airport, where 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghans died in a suicide bombing.

The review, which was commissioned by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, follows an earlier White House report that was released in April. It concluded that the State Department had not done enough to prepare for the withdrawal and evacuation, and that the lack of clear communication and decision-making had added significantly to the challenges U.S. personnel faced.

The report also noted that the State Department had failed to anticipate the Taliban’s rapid advance and the resulting chaos, and had not provided sufficient support to the Afghan government and its citizens. It also highlighted the need for better coordination between the State Department and other government agencies in order to ensure a successful evacuation.