Twenty years ago this week, U.S. Special Forces and a U.S. Marine task force began offensive operations against al-Qaida and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack. It was the deadliest in world history, killing 2,977 Americans. Within days, the U.S. was joined by NATO allies, united by the pledge, “Never again!”
Sept. 28 and 29, 2021, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees held hearings on the disastrous end of this bloody, two-decade-long war that took the lives of 2,464 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and 3,840 U.S. civilian contractors. More than 24,000 U.S. and allied troops were seriously wounded.
Last week’s hearings could and should have been an opportunity to determine who is responsible for the catastrophic defeat our nation suffered at the “end” of a brutal contest in which we won all the major battles but still lost the war. It didn’t happen.
Instead, we witnessed our senior military leaders making excuses, obfuscating, distorting, and attempting to blame former President Donald Trump to deflect blame for this unmitigated disaster they and their feckless president caused.
Ironically, the outcome of the hearings was best summarized by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-C.T., a man who has his own issues with truth-telling. Blumenthal chided Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for providing “no real responses,” and after repeatedly asking who should be held accountable for leaving American citizens and our allies behind, concluded, “There is nobody in charge.”
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of the United States Central Command, testified they urged President Biden to keep 2,500 U.S. troops and 5,000 NATO personnel in the country, and to retain possession of Bagram Air Base until all American citizens, Afghan allies and third-country civilians were evacuated. Biden evidently ignored this advice. When asked in a televised interview on Aug. 18 if he was advised to leave troops in Afghanistan, the president said: “No. No one said that to me I can recall.” The functional words here were “I can recall.”
Many assumed this response was another presidential lie, like so many others: “We will leave no one behind.” “We have enormous leverage over the Taliban.” We have “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism “capabilities.” But was it a deliberate falsehood? The only alternative raises serious questions about our president’s cognitive competence and who other than our senior military officers are giving this president military advice.
Two things are certain: First, the headline, “Top Generals Contradict Biden,” is true. So is the acknowledgement by two of our top military officers. Second, the American people and our homeland are now at “greater risk from terrorism” because of the way this war ended.
Congressional hearings with 5-minute Q&As are inadequate if the objective is to determine who should be held accountable for the humiliation our nation suffered in the worst military, national security and humanitarian disaster in U.S. history. But it’s about more than fixing blame. It’s about doing everything necessary to prevent anything like what occurred in August 2021, and the atrocities now underway in Afghanistan, from ever happening again.
To that end, we urge the formation of a “joint, bipartisan” commission on Operation Enduring Freedom. Here are two suggested parameters:
Give the commissioners authority to review classified messages, meetings and transcripts of calls, particularly calls made between Milley and Chinese Gen. Li Zuochong, and the call made by the president to Communist China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on Sept. 9.
Require the commission to deliver its report no later than Sept. 1, 2022.
This is the only way we can keep the pledge, “Never Again.”
Oliver L. North is a combat-decorated U.S. Marine, No.1 bestselling author, founder and CEO of Fidelis Publishing LLC and Fidelis Media LLC. Find out more about him at www.olivernorth.com. David Goetsch is a Marine Corps veteran, member of the Florida Veteran’s Hall of Fame, professor of business, Christian counselor, and author of 77 books. Find out more about him at www.david-goetsch.com. Order their new book, “We Didn’t Fight for Socialism,” at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.
We will never get the total truth as long as Democrats contol Congress and create the committees to investigate any of the failures of this administration. It would be embarrassing for them after touting Biden duing the election as the one to put things right to place the blame for failure on him and his chosen advisors! Every time they try to place the onus on Donald Trump the truth comes out that it was the reversal his policies that caused the problems and the failures. One thing comes to mind, the military didn’t try very hard to convince the President to DO THE RIGHT THING!
Hi Joe. The military didn’t speak to Joe Biden or try to convince him of anything. They spoke to his handlers, puppeteers. They are the one calling the plays, writing the presidential orders, writing the speeches, writing responses to the press (even the friendly press). THEY ARE IN CHARGE.
EVEN IF WE get another commission, AFTER getting biden and co out.. TILL THE GOP GROWS a bloody spine, and actually PUSHES TO PROPERLY HOLD folks accountable.. (and no i don’t mean just allowing them to resign, but ACTUAL CRIMINALLY PUNISH THEM), i doubt a damn thing will change.
Nobody, NOBODY in the Deep State Toxic Septic Sewer System – I call them all Swamp Scum – is held accountable. And NOBODY will be held accountable the murder of seven innocent children. NOBODY. And I don’t think this is a democrap or repro problem. Look at Baby Bush as an example – absolute total waste of carbon and oxygen. Look at Matt Deatz and Mr. Turtle Man today.
I agree. TILL we start sticking them, on the GUILLOTINES< ala the French revolution, NONE Of them will ever face one LICK of accountability, or punishment…