Top commander: Afghanistan evacuation hampered by appeals from White House officials, members of Congress
By Jordan Williams - 02/10/22 11:52 AM EST
The top military commander overseeing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan says the effort was hampered by outreach from a variety of officials, including the White House and other international interests.
In testimony to Army investigators, Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, who was commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan Forward, explained how he had been inundated with requests from officials.
“There was all goodness in this, but the lesson learned is it was a distraction from the main effort as they were coming directly to the individuals on the ground trying to accomplish the task at hand,” Vasley told investigators, according to the testimony.
Vasley’s comments appear in an Army investigation regarding the ISIS-K suicide bombing at Kabul’s international airport that killed 13 U.S. service members. Military officials briefed reporters on the attack last week.
The Washington Post, which first reported Vasley’s comments, originally reported on Tuesday that the report revealed frustrations from military leaders with the White House and State Department over the evacuation.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/593691-top-commander-afghanistan-evacuation-hampered-by-appeals-from-white-house
