East Central Reporter

Congressman Mike Bost announced the release of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's report on the Biden-Harris administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, stating, "It put our national security at risk abroad and here at home." He made this statement in a Facebook post on September 9.

"Today the House Foreign Affairs Committee released its 350-page report on the Biden-Harris withdrawal from Afghanistan," said Bost, U.S. Representative, according to Facebook. "The investigation revealed that the Biden-Harris administration ignored the pleas of the Afghan government and the objections of our NATO allies, moving forward with a hasty withdrawal that destabilized the region and empowered terrorist groups like al Qaeda and ISIS. It put our national security at risk abroad and here at home. I've included the report so you can read it for yourself."

Bost shared a link to the report titled "Willful Blindness: An Assessment of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Chaos that Followed." According to Bost, during the 118th Congress, the House Foreign Affairs Committee conducted a three-year investigation into the withdrawal and identified multiple conclusions outlined in the report.

Screenshot of Congressman Mike Bost's Sept. 9 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's Facebook page

First, according to Bost, "the Biden-Harris administration was determined to withdraw from Afghanistan, with or without the Doha Agreement and no matter the cost. Accordingly, they ignored the conditions in the Doha Agreement, pleas of the Afghan government, and objections by our NATO allies, deciding to unilaterally withdraw from the country."

The second conclusion states that "the Biden-Harris administration prioritized the optics of the withdrawal over the security of U.S. personnel on the ground. For that reason, they failed to plan for all contingencies, including a noncombatant emergency evacuation (NEO) and refused to order a NEO until after the Taliban had already entered Kabul."

Thirdly, according to Bost, "the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to prepare for a NEO and order a timely NEO created an unsafe environment at HKIA (Hamid Karzai International Airport), exposing U.S. Defense Department and State Department personnel to lethal threats and emotional harm. As a result, 13 U.S. service members were murdered by a terrorist attack on August 26, 2021. It was the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since 2012."

A United Press International (UPI) report indicated that Democrats pushed back on these findings. The report suggests that positioning Vice President Kamala Harris as responsible for the withdrawal is merely a "GOP performance [which] has reached a crescendo." Additionally, UPI noted that following the withdrawal beginning on August 15, 2021, approximately 124,000 troops were evacuated from Kabul before concluding on August 31.

Mike Bost has been serving as Illinois’ representative for its 12th District since January 6, 2015. He previously spent two decades in the Illinois State House of Representatives where he served as House Republican Caucus Chair. A lifelong resident of Murphysboro and former U.S. Marine Corps member from 1979-1982, Bost worked for 24 years at Bost Trucking Service as a driver and truck manager before joining the Murphysboro Fire Department after graduating from the University of Illinois’ Certified Firefighter II Academy in 1993.