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Austin, TX – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has released the following statement on the two-year anniversary of the Taliban taking control of Kabul and the Afghan government.

“Two years ago, Kabul fell to the Taliban and Americans and Afghan allies were forced to flee for their lives. This led to a deadly and chaotic evacuation that saw Americans being beaten in the streets by the Taliban, evacuees falling from planes to their doom, and the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in more than a decade, claiming the lives of 13 heroes. The abandonment of Afghanistan – and the more than 1,000 American citizens and 100,000 Afghan partners we left behind – diminished our moral authority and invited aggression from adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran.

“This catastrophe was the result of one terrible decision after another by President Biden and his administration, who ignored the advice of military leaders and dire warnings from diplomats on the ground. For two years, President Biden has refused to take responsibility for the disaster he caused or even acknowledge it as a failure. Not a single person has been held accountable. That ends in this Congress.

“I will not rest until we uncover every stone and get to the bottom of how this happened and who is responsible for these failures. Our service members, veterans and our Gold Star families – especially those who lost family on August 26th at Abbey Gate – deserve answers and justice. We must do everything we can to make sure this never happens again.”

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