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Blinken Faces GOP-Led House Panel Over Chaotic Afghanistan Withdrawal

Dec 11, 2024, 03:41 PM

Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday to address the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. This testimony comes after months of tension between the State Department and the panel, which has been critical of the Biden administration's handling of the exit. The hearing, titled 'An Assessment of the State Department’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan by America’s Top Diplomat,' was marked by several interruptions from protesters. Michael McCaul, the committee's chairman, accused Blinken of ignoring security risks and described the withdrawal as the beginning of a failed foreign policy that has had global repercussions. Blinken acknowledged that even the most pessimistic U.S. government assessment did not foresee the rapid fall of the Afghan government.