Top House lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon for information on the lead-up to the 2021 Abbey Gate explosion after a Marine sniper's March testimony suggested positive identification of the bomber prior to the attack and command denial for engagement. (RELATED: US Soldier Says Snipers Could've Taken Out Kabul Airport Suicide Bomber – But Weren't Allowed To)
“Marine Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a sniper badly wounded in the explosion, testified that his sniper team believed they identified the suicide bomber responsible for the attack earlier in the day,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., recounted in a letter shared Thursday.
At the March 8 hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Sergeant Vargas testified that his team did not shoot the terrorist because his command seemed unsure who held authority for approval for engagement. (RELATED: Fox News Bows To Pressure From Liberal Media, Alters Language When Referring To Terrorists)
Sergeant Vargas described the scenes of chaos that unfolded moments before the attack, recounting the communication that took place between his team and leadership, communications Republicans are now requesting to clarify varying accounts from that day.
“No one was held accountable,” Vargas told the committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”
The subsequent suicide attack at Kabul's airport resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and another 45 wounded. Approximately 170 Afghan civilians were also killed. Injuries sustained by Vargas in the attack led to the amputation of his right arm and right leg.
“Battlefield decisions are often made in a cloud, but in honor of the lives lost and those still living following that terrible day, it is incumbent we learn whether events were avoidable and if uncertain procedures, broken lines of communication, or worse, contributed to the lack of engagement,” the chairmen wrote.
Republican lawmakers requested officials meet a June 2 deadline to provide all documents, communications, and intelligence products relating to the events at Abbey Gate. They additionally asked for the Department of Defense's after action review of the chaotic withdrawal.
This week's letter represents the latest in McCaul's charge to reexamine the events surround the pullout of American forces from Afghanistan. The State Department finally relented this week to McCaul's request for review of a “dissent cable” only after the Republican congressman threatened to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt for refusing a March subpoena. The communication in question came from diplomats who warned of the risks of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In a White House review of the deadly 2021 withdrawal, the Biden administration took full credit for ending U.S. engagement in Afghanistan and laid substantial blame on former President Donald Trump. The options available to President Biden for executing a withdrawal were “severely constrained by his predecessor,” the document stated.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Unfortunately for Brandon, we have heard from people in the circle who warned Brandon who gave him advice and presented consequences of his plan which he ignored.
Politicians talk and soldiers die. We went through the same 💩 in Vietnam. What good are these generals and admirals sitting on their butts waiting on that useless Sec of Defense and general milley to make a decision??
Biden wants to take credit for things initiated by Trump but wants to blame Trump for his mistakes. We should have had an orderly withdrawal but instead Biden decide to just bail out with no concern for the last troops. In addition, he left a very large inventory of military hardware behind. DISGRACEFUL.
Infuriating! Not only does Biden blame Trump for HIS stupid decisions which cost not only American lives as well an 170 Afghans + billions of dollars in military equipment left for the enemy. The first thing the idiot did was give up Bagram Air Force base in which could have been very well defended, unlike Kabul’s airport impossible to defend. An orderly evacuation out of Bagram could have easily been orchestrated getting equipment, civilians, afghans that had helped us for 20 years and lastly military personnel. All for a date and photo op. Our southern border is no better. How many people have to die because of this bumbling fool we have for a president.
Those who made the decisions to ignore should be held as complicit in the crime…starting from the top down.
Biden is at fault in Afghanistan “bug” out. I could puke at the title “Commander in Chief” that he believes he is has!
Winning starts at the top along with the Military leaders and Government “lackies”.
My blood boils at the no accountability.
Time to have those who are in a command position own up to their responsibility!
I would like to hear the full excuse of what Trump did to constrain Biden’s options on getting out of Afghanistan. Bidumb is the president,..he could have chosen to do any number of things to safely and securely leave the theatre. Instead he first gave away Bagram AF Base and then evacuated most military personnel against the advice of pentagon officials. Then we were left with an indefensible airport in Kabul and the circus that ensued.