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The Wall Street Journal’s new opinion documentary, “The Path to Zero,” dropped a bombshell this week: retired U.S. Marines on camera say CIA‑trained Afghan “Zero Units” ran over and shot civilians to clear a path to Kabul airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. These are not anonymous sources or recycled rumors — they are eyewitness accounts from people who stood on that tarmac. If true, this is not just a failure of planning; it is a moral and legal catastrophe that demands answers from the CIA and the Pentagon now.
Eyewitness Claims from the Kabul Airport
Retired Gunnery Sgt. Edward Gonzalez tells the film, “They straight up executed people. I literally saw trucks running over people.” Retired Sergeant Joseph Laude calls what he saw “atrocities, war crimes.” Even a former commander on the scene, retired Rear Admiral Peter Vasely, says he didn’t receive official reports but doesn’t doubt the Marines’ accounts. These are stark, first‑person allegations: killings, vehicles used as weapons, and orders that reportedly came with promises of evacuation for the fighters and their families. The documentary puts a hard new face on long‑standing questions about how U.S. intelligence programs operated in Afghanistan.
Why This Matters: Accountability and Consequences
The film also claims roughly 30,000 evacuees that month were Zero Unit members and family — a large slice of the overall evacuation. If CIA assurances helped induce those actions, it raises ugly questions about who made those promises and on what legal or moral grounds. Meanwhile, thousands of loyal interpreters and allies were left behind. Representative Darrell Issa is already promising that a cover‑up will be exposed as the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel — led by Sean Parnell at the Pentagon — sifts through newly recovered classified documents. That panel’s recent work could be the smoking gun or at least a key piece of the puzzle.
Beyond the Tarmac: Real Security Risks
This is not academic. Bringing foreign fighters into the United States without thorough vetting carried clear risks — risks that, in at least one reported case, ended tragically. The decision to prioritize some groups for evacuation over others and the way promises were allegedly traded for violence show a catastrophic mix of poor judgment and moral compromise. The withdrawal already left reputations and careers in ruins; the WSJ film suggests it may also have left a darker, bloodier trail that the American people deserve to see documented and explained.
What Should Happen Next
We need the CIA, the Department of Defense, and the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel to answer three simple demands: release the records that exist, name who authorized any deals, and declassify what can be declassified so Americans can judge for themselves. Congress should subpoena the relevant documents and call these witnesses back under oath. If criminal conduct occurred, referrals should follow. The time for gentle language and spin is over. We deserve the truth — and if there was a trade of American values for evacuation metrics, those responsible must be held to account. No more cover‑ups, no more excuses, and certainly no more “lessons learned” memos that sit on a shelf until the next crisis.
