Leaked notes (obtained by Axios) reveal how under-prepared President Joe Biden and his administration was, ahead of the Afghan pull-out.
The documents showed US diplomats and officials in Afghan were still deciding on an evacuation plan for citizens just one day before the Taliban’s initial strike. The White House Situation Room documents’ summary revealed the pre and post-departure actions.
The documents also reveal that the Afghan military’s strength was an overestimation and the US didn’t suspect Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee.
According to the action plan, the officials were scheduled to discuss civilian evacuation and international transit points on August 15th, hours before the Taliban strike. The US and other nations scrambled to evacuate as many individuals and families as possible after Afghan’s capital fell. The messy pull-out left US allies back in Afghanistan at the Taliban’s mercy. Kabul’s suicide bombing killed 13 US officials during the evacuation process.
Many crucial decisions were not made at the appropriate time. Officials and foreign nationals weren’t notified to register their relocation interests within the US sooner. The National Security Council denied commenting on the leaked documents and their improper planning.
