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Sydney, Australia – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Biden-Harris administration’s deadly and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left behind hundreds of American citizens, abandoned thousands of our Afghan allies, and, unforgivably, left 13 heroic U.S. servicemembers dead.

“Three years after the Biden-Harris administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country continues to suffer under the iron fist of the terrorist Taliban regime. By choosing an arbitrary withdrawal date and making no effort to ensure the Taliban upheld the Doha Agreement’s conditions—such as protecting women’s rights—the Biden administration emboldened the Taliban and allowed the country to become a terrorist safe haven. The administration must take accountability for those it abandoned in Afghanistan and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice getting Americans and our allies to safety. The Gold Star families deserve better. Our veterans deserve better. The American people deserve better.”

Background:

  • Human rights: Since its 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has committed gross human rights abuses. The Taliban has carried out systemic and inhumane acts of violence against the Afghan people, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrest, and corporal punishment. Women in Afghanistan are essentially banned from participating in all forms of public life. Women are prohibited from receiving an education above sixth grade, are unable to hold many jobs, and are unable to leave the house without a male escort.  
  • Terrorism: Afghanistan remains a haven for terrorist groups. Al Qaeda leader Saif al-Adl recently called for al Qaeda fighters to migrate to Afghanistan for training to strike Western interests. The Taliban continue to provide significant support to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – the Pakistani Taliban – leading to clashes between Pakistani and Taliban security forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. While the Taliban continue harboring friendly terrorist organizations, they also remain incapable of effectively combatting the threat posed by ISIS-K, which has grown stronger since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
  • Since the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States’ intelligence-gathering capabilities have severely degraded, despite President Biden’s claims of “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism capabilities. Since 2021, ISIS-K has reclaimed a foothold in Afghanistan and plotted some of its deadliest attacks in Europe, including the 2024 attack on the Crocus theatre in Moscow which killed more than 130 people.
  • President Biden and Vice President Harris have yet to publicly say the names of and honor the sacrifice of the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed because of their disastrous withdrawal.

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