During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the department would be conducting a review of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan which took place under the Biden administration.
President Trump shared Secretary Hegseth’s comments on in a Truth Social post.
“We’re doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened with the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan and plan to have full accountability,” Hegseth said. “It’s one of the first things we announced at the defense department.”
Hegseth said the approach under his leadership would differ from that of the Biden administration, which was broadly criticized for its chaotic handling of the withdrawal.
The disastrous decision and poor planning of the previous administration resulted in the deaths of 13 service members in a bombing at Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport.
“We’re taking a very different view obviously than the previous administration and there will be full accountability.”
President Trump praised the efforts of Secretary Hegseth and expressed confidence that there would be accountability for those responsible.
“I don’t see big promotions in that group,” President Trump said. “I think they’re going to be largely gone.”
The families of the 13 service members killed during the withdrawal previously criticized the Biden administration for its failure to properly account for the catastrophe. President Trump expressed his sympathy and support of the families, echoing their frustrations with the Biden administration.
“That was a horrible display. I’ve dealt with the parents and the family of the thirteen that were killed. It was so terrible the way that was handled,” President Trump said.