Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders full review of 2021 Afghanistan exit, citing casualties and lack of accountability.

Pentagon to Reexamine Chaotic Kabul Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to conduct a comprehensive review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. In a memo released Tuesday, Hegseth cited the need to ensure accountability for what he described as one of America's “darkest and deadliest international moments.”

Hegseth emphasized that the review is essential for restoring public trust and honoring the service of American troops who fought in the two-decade conflict. “The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts,” he wrote.

The withdrawal, executed under President Joe Biden, stemmed from a deal negotiated during Trump’s first term to end U.S. military involvement in the region. The operation was heavily criticized after the Taliban swiftly regained control of Afghanistan and chaos erupted at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate by an ISIS-K operative—who had been released from prison by the Taliban weeks earlier—killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians. A 2024 U.S. Army Central Command investigation confirmed the details of the attack.

Hegseth stated that although previous reviews had been conducted, they were insufficient in scope. He has appointed Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell to lead a special review panel tasked with analyzing the decisions that led to the deadly outcome and assessing prior investigations for thoroughness and accuracy.

“This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,” Hegseth said in the directive.

Calls for Accountability Intensify

The Biden administration’s own 2023 report acknowledged intelligence failures in predicting how rapidly the Taliban would seize Kabul. The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Republicans, conducted a parallel investigation. Their findings accused the administration of placing political optics over operational safety, stating that it failed to plan adequately for a noncombatant evacuation operation.

“They refused to order a NEO until after the Taliban had already entered Kabul,” the House report said, criticizing the delay as a key factor that endangered lives at the airport.

Trump, when asked in February whether he would direct Hegseth to take punitive action against military leaders involved in the operation, said he would “fire every single one of them.”

Retired Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., who led U.S. Central Command during the withdrawal, accepted full military responsibility in March 2024 testimony before Congress. “I was the overall commander, and I and I alone bear full military responsibility for what happened at Abbey Gate,” he said.

Hegseth’s review signals a renewed effort to confront the fallout from the withdrawal and reassess how national security decisions were made at the highest levels. The panel's findings may influence future policy and military command structure as the Pentagon continues to address the enduring consequences of the Afghanistan exit.