Staff Reports
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, is on a mission to expose the Biden administration’s disastrous handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the country marks the two-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, McCaul is seeking testimony from the individuals who were in charge on the ground during the chaos.
One particular commander has caught McCaul’s attention – the same commander who made the fateful decision not to take out a target believed to be the suicide bomber responsible for killing over a dozen Americans at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. Blackhawk Down vibes, anyone?
Back in March, a brave Marine Corps sergeant, Tyler Vargas-Andrews, testified before Congress about what he witnessed firsthand in Kabul. He and his fellow Marines spotted a suspicious individual who they believed was the ISIS-K suicide bomber. Vargas-Andrews, a sniper, requested permission to neutralize the threat but was denied. And guess what happened next? He got caught in the blast that killed 13 U.S. service members. Talk about a bureaucratic nightmare!
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, McCaul summarized Vargas-Andrews’ testimony, emphasizing the failure of leadership and authority that led to the tragic outcome. He also highlighted the fact that intelligence had warned of an imminent attack and identified the presence of the bomber at the airport. How did our brilliant military leaders respond? By relying on the Taliban for security. Yeah, that’s definitely a recipe for success.
McCaul is absolutely right in demanding answers and accountability for the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. It’s been two whole years, and not a single person in the Biden administration has faced any consequences for this debacle. Our brave men and women who served, our veterans, and the families who lost loved ones deserve better than this.
So, McCaul has requested a transcribed interview with Lieutenant Colonel Brad Whited, the commanding officer of Sergeant Vargas-Andrews. Whited, who has already discussed the Abbey Gate attack in a recent documentary, needs to step up and share what he knows with the Foreign Affairs Committee. We can only hope that the Department of Defense will cooperate and allow this interview to take place.
McCaul has set a deadline for Secretary Austin and the Pentagon to arrange the interview by August 25, with the expectation that it will happen no later than September 22. Let’s hope they take this seriously and finally provide the answers and accountability that the American people deserve. Or else, we’ll just be left wondering how this could have happened and who is responsible for these failures. And that’s not something we can afford to sweep under the rug.
