Hegseth orders new review of Afghanistan withdrawal and suicide bombing at Kabul airport
President Donald Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly blasted the Biden administration for the withdrawal, which Hegseth said Tuesday was 'disastrous and embarrassing.' He said the new review will interview witnesses, analyze the decision-making and 'get the truth.'
There have already been multiple reviews of the withdrawal by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the State Department and Congress, which have involved hundreds of interviews and studies of videos, photographs and other footage and data. It's unclear what specific new information the new review is seeking.
The Abbey Gate bombing during the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans, and wounded scores more. It triggered widespread debate and congressional criticism, fueled by searing photographs of desperate Afghans trying to crowd into the airport to get out of Kabul, with some clinging to U.S. military aircraft as they were taking off.
A detailed U.S. military review was ordered in 2023 to expand the number of people interviewed, after a Marine injured in the blast said snipers believed they saw the possible bomber but couldn't get approval to take him out.
The findings, released in 2024, refuted those assertions and concluded that the bombing was not preventable. A congressional review was highly critical of the withdrawal, saying the Biden administration did not adequately prepare for it or for all the contingencies and put personnel in danger.
Others, however, have faulted the State Department for not moving quickly enough to decide on an evacuation, resulting in a rush to get out as the Taliban took control of the country. Critics have also blamed Trump for making a deal with the Taliban in 2020 when he was president to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which decreased the number of forces on the ground as the pullout went on.
Both Trump and then-President Joe Biden wanted an end to the war and U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
The new review will be led by Sean Parnell, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. He will convene a panel that will provide updates 'at appropriate times,' but there is no time frame or deadline for any report, which is very unusual.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Japan ready to compile extra budget to cushion US tariff blow, PM Ishiba says
By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday the government is ready to compile an extra budget to cushion the economic blow from U.S. tariffs, a move that would add strain to the country's already worsening finances. After suffering a stinging defeat in last month's upper house election, Ishiba's minority coalition is under pressure to heed opposition parties' demand to boost spending and cut Japan's sales tax. "We will compile one if necessary, taking into account discussions with other parties," Ishiba told parliament when asked by an opposition lawmaker whether the government would compile an extra budget that includes tax cuts. If the government were to compile a stimulus package, an extra budget to fund the spending would be submitted to an extraordinary parliament session likely to be convened in September. Japan's trade deal struck with President Donald Trump last month lowers U.S. tariffs for imports of goods including its mainstay automobiles, easing the pain for the export-reliant economy. But there is no clarity on when U.S. tariffs for automobiles and auto parts will be cut to 15% from the current 25%, clouding the outlook for Japan's fragile recovery. Compiling an extra budget has become a regular practice in Japan as politicians call for increasing spending to support the economy, keeping its fiscal policy loose even as other countries rolled back crisis-mode spending after the COVID-19 pandemic. Ishiba has not commented on the possible size of an extra budget, but some analysts expect it could reach around 10 trillion yen ($67.68 billion), which would require additional debt issuance. The extra budget would come on top of a record 115.5 trillion yen budget for the current fiscal year. Of the total, 24.5% is being spent on financing debt. Such deficit funding costs will likely rise further as the Bank of Japan eyes more interest rate hikes, analysts say. With rising food costs hurting consumption, opposition parties have called for slashing or eliminating Japan's sales tax rate, which is set at 10% except for 8% for food. Ishiba, who is regarded as a fiscal hawk, has been cautious about cutting the sales tax, which funds social welfare costs for a rapidly ageing population. A flurry of big spending packages and ballooning social welfare costs for a rapidly ageing population have left Japan with a debt pile 250% the size of its economy - the highest among major economies. ($1 = 147.7500 yen) Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
18 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump says he now 'loves' Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad after learning she's a registered Republican
President Trump on Sunday reacted positively upon learning actress Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, adding that he now finds her viral American Eagle ad campaign to be "fantastic." "She's a registered Republican?" Trump said in response to a reporter's question about his thoughts on her political affiliation. "Oh, now I love her ad." The President added, "You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That's what I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic." The "Euphoria" actress' voter registration has surfaced as she faces backlash for her controversial American Eagle jeans campaign. Since June 2024, she has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County, the New York Post reported, citing public voter records. Earlier this week, American Eagle released their latest campaign with the actress, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Following the launch, there was a mix of reactions on social media. Some critics said the billboard's play on "genes" versus "jeans" echoed eugenics-era slogans, though supporters argued it was a lighthearted marketing gimmick. Some dubbed the campaign as "tone-deaf" due to the alleged racial undertones, while others have praised the actress for killing "woke" advertising. In a promo video posted to the brand's Instagram, the 27-year-old walked toward an AE billboard featuring her and the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes." Sweeney crossed out "Genes" and replaced it with "Jeans" before walking away. On Friday, Vice President JD Vance had some fun at the expense of the left over its wild response to the American Eagle ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. "My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy," Vance joked during Friday's appearance on the "Ruthless" podcast.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Asian markets fluctuate as traders weigh tariffs, US jobs
Asian markets flitted between gains and losses Monday as investors continued to digest last week's tariff blitz by Donald Trump and a US jobs report that fanned fears about the world's top economy. News on Friday that dozens of countries would be hit with levies ranging from 10 to 41 percent sent shivers through exchanges amid concern about the impact on global trade. With the date of implementation pushed back to Thursday, focus will be on talks between Washington and other capitals on paring some of the tolls back. The pain was compounded later by figures showing the US economy created just 73,000 jobs in July -- against 104,000 forecast -- while unemployment rose to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent. Job gains from June and May were also revised down by nearly 260,000. The figures stoked concerns that Trump's tariffs are beginning to bite, with inflation also seen pushing back towards three percent. The reading also saw the president fire the commissioner of labor statistics, accusing her of manipulating employment data for political reasons. Bets on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates at its September meeting shot up following the jobs numbers, with some analysts predicting it will go for a 50-basis-point reduction, rather than the regular 25 points. Yields on US Treasury bonds fell sharply as investors priced in the cuts. Investors will now be keenly awaiting every utterance from Fed boss Jerome Powell leading up to the next policy meeting, not least because of the pressure Trump has put on him to lower rates. Observers said news that governor Adriani Kugler will step down from the bank six months early will give the president a chance to increase his influence on decision-making. "Fed credibility, and the veracity of the statistics on which they base their policy decisions, are both now under the spotlight," said National Australia Bank's Ray Attrill. "Fed officials, such as New York President John Williams speaking after the data, profess to be open minded about the September Fed meeting, but Mr Market has already decided they are cutting -- ending Friday 88 percent priced for a 25-basis-points rate reduction." Still, Asian investors tried to get back on the horse after Friday's selloff, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Seoul up, while Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were all down. The performance was better than New York, where the S&P 500 and Dow each lost more than one percent and the Nasdaq more than two percent -- with some also questioning whether a recent rally to multiple records has gone too far. The dollar edged up but held most of its losses against its peers after tanking on the jobs report. And oil extended Friday's losses of almost three percent, which came after OPEC and other key producers agreed another output hike, fanning oversupply fears owing to the effects of Trump's tariffs and signs of a weakening economy. - Key figures at around 0230 GMT - Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.6 percent at 40,134.97 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 percent at 24,607.19 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,570.47 Dollar/yen: UP at 147.86 yen from 147.43 yen on Friday Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1561 from $1.1586 Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3262 from $1.3276 Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.16 pence from 87.25 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $67.06 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $69.36 per barrel New York - Dow: DOWN 1.2 percent at 43,588.58 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 percent at 9,068.58 (close) dan/tym Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
