State Department IG to Launch Series of Reviews on Afghanistan Operations Including Biden Admin's Withdrawal
The State Department Inspector General (IG) will launch a series of "reviews" about the Afghanistan operation, including the Biden administration's pullout from the South Asian country.
State Department's Acting Inspector General Diana Shaw, confirmed the move on Monday, through a letter sent to the foreign affairs and intelligence committees of both U.S. House and U.S. Senate, Fox News reported.
"Given the elevated interest in this work by Congress and the unique circumstances requiring coordination across the inspector general community, I wanted to notify our committees of jurisdiction of this important work," Shaw indicated in the letter.
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Despite saying that the IG will launch a probe, State Department's OIG spokesperson, Ryan Holden, pointed out that "reviews" will take place and not "investigations."
"This [review] will be conducted in coordination with the with other members of the Inspector General community. However, it is inaccurate to say that these projects are investigations. We indicated to Congress that these projects will be reviews," Holden underscored.
The Focus of the State Department's Review
The reviews by the said inspector general will focus on different aspects of the Afghanistan operations, such as the Special Immigrant Visa Program Afghans processed for refugee admission into the U.S., and resettlement of the visa recipients and the Afghan refugees.
The said review will also look into the emergency evacuation on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul including the evacuation of Americans and Afghans from the South Asian country.
Moreover, a separate letter from Inspector General Shaw also revealed that her office was launching "several oversight projects" related to the end of the diplomatic mission and U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.
Reviews From Other Inspector Generals, Other Agencies
Aside from the IG of the State Department, other inspector generals from other agencies including the Department of Defense started their reviews.
Pentagon's inspector general has at least three reviews related to the Afghanistan evacuation. The reviews of the said agency would evaluate the Kabul drone strike that killed at least 10 civilians instead of the Islamic State target; an audit for DOD's support on relocating Afghans; and a review of DOD's screening process on displaced Afghanistan nationals.
Other inspector generals, including the one from the Afghanistan Reconstruction, may also review the end of U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
U.S. Withdrawal on Afghanistan
The series of reviews from the State Department's inspector general came weeks after the U.S. decided to withdraw on Afghanistan on August 30, ending the longest war in the history of the United States.
Although the last plane carrying Americans departed from the South Asian country at around 3:29 p.m. (ET), Marine General Frank McKenzie noted that they were not able to get everyone out of Afghanistan.
McKenzie did not provide details on how many Americans were left in the country at that time, but a senior State Department official noted that under 250 Americans were left in the South Asian country during that time.
As of date, Fox News said that an untold number of Americans and U.S. allies remain in Afghanistan, prompting the retired military officials to call for the mass resignation of Biden's diplomatic and military leaders.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
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