DoD Spokesman Says Leadership of Afghanistan Withdrawal Should Be Held Accountable
A spokesperson for the Department of Defense stated on Monday that the leadership of those involved in the controversial Afghanistan withdrawal should face accountability.
During a press briefing, DoD spokesman Sean Parnell emphasized that the Trump administration has an “obligation” to hold those responsible for the chaotic pullout accountable. Parnell was responding to a question from the Daily Caller regarding whether the Department of Defense would take steps to fire or discipline the leaders involved in the withdrawal who are still in their positions.
“We’re in the process of figuring out what that investigation will look like,” Parnell said. He added that as a person who has served, the withdrawal under the Biden administration “horrified” him.
“Almost half of my life, this country was at war in Afghanistan,” he explained. “I watched my men do extraordinary things in support of a grateful nation and in support of a mission there, and to watch Afghanistan be surrendered in the way that it was, [it] was extremely difficult.”
The Biden administration’s withdrawal was marred by a bombing at Abbey Gate, which killed 13 US service members and 170 Afghan civilians. Earlier this month, the Trump administration, alongside Pakistan’s intelligence service, apprehended the suspect believed to be behind the bombing.
Parnell raised the question of whether those responsible for the disaster would be held accountable, reiterating the Department of Defense’s duty to both the American people and the military personnel who fought in Afghanistan.
“I think we have an obligation both to the American people and to the warfighters who fought in Afghanistan to hold the leadership accountable in some way,” he said.
“Now, we don’t know what that looks like right now to hold the leadership of the Afghanistan withdrawal accountable,” he added. “If you have a private that loses a sensitive item, that loses night-vision goggles, and loses a weapon, you can bet that private’s going to be held accountable. The same and equal standards must apply to senior military leaders.”
