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Lawmakers investigating failures in Afghanistan withdrawal

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WASHINGTON D.C. — It’s been almost two years since the chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan and concerns are now growing about terrorists using Afghanistan to coordinate attacks.

Some members of Congress have been pointing the finger at each other, blaming the other party’s policies for the mess after we left Afghanistan.

But watchdogs of the military and the federal government warn this was a bipartisan failure.

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It’s a war that spanned four presidential administrations.

Mistakes were made over two decades.

That includes the tumultuous withdrawal almost two summers ago when the world watched as the Taliban quickly regained control.

“From ignoring rampant corruption and the lack of a consistent U.S. strategy, the seeds of August 2021′s drama were sown many years before,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko said.

Members of Congress are exploring what went wrong and why, weighing testimony from the watchdogs of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and more.

Republicans blame the Biden administration for the chaotic withdrawal.

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“In August 2021, Joe Biden lost that war. There was no exit with dignity. It was a panic and 13 American service members were murdered by a suicide bomber,” Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, said.

Democrats meanwhile point to policies under former President Trump.

“My Republican colleagues refuse to examine the elephant on the battlefield: President Trump’s disastrous decision to cut out the Afghan government and negotiate directly with the Taliban,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md, said.

Government watchdogs have highlighted department-wide failures including the government’s inability to keep track of military equipment and property.

The Biden administration has defended its decision to withdraw completely from Afghanistan in August 2021, saying it was time to end the nearly 20-year war.

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