Hegseth orders review of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday ordered a review to be conducted of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which occurred under the Biden administration.

The final troop withdrawal in 2021 led to the death of 13 U.S. soldiers. 

"On August 26, 2021, President Biden’s administration led a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military and embassy officials from Afghanistan that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. Service members and 170 civilians in a suicide bombing at the Kabul International Airport’s Abbey Gate," according to Hegseth's memo.

"President Trump and I have formally pledged full transparency for what transpired during our military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts."

While the DOD has been conducting a review of the withdrawal for the last three months, Hegseth said that he has "concluded that we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people."

He also said he is directing Sean Parnell, assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, to "thoroughly examine previous investigations, to include but not limited to, findings of fact, sources, witnesses, and analyze the decision making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments."