American veterans 'deeply unsettled' by fall of Kabul, seek in-depth probe of Afghan war
Nov 04, 2021
Washington [US], November 4 : Calling the fall of Kabul an "inevitable end", the American veterans have expressed their grief after 13 US troops were killed in a bombing outside the Kabul airport during chaotic US withdrawal in mid-August.
American veterans said that they were "deeply unsettled" by the collapse of the Afghan government to the Taliban, according to an opinion piece by Luis Cardona and Will Fischer published in The Hill.
"The veteran community was hit hard. For 20 years, we made every sacrifice, suffered loss, and did everything we were asked -- and it now felt like it had been for nothing. We know our brothers and sisters served honourably and courageously, but watching the fall happen so quickly was disheartening, even if it may have been an inevitable end," said the opinion piece.
The authors further said that the veterans and the people deserve a comprehensive investigation of the Aghan war and accountability for those who misled the American people about the war's progress.
A veteran, Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduced a bill for the establishment of a commission to study the course of the Afghan war that began on September 11, 2001, and lasted till the US evacuation of Afghanistan, said the opinion piece.
"The proposed Afghanistan War Study Commission would be tasked with examining all military and diplomatic activities surrounding the war, along with how decisions were made, and what role congressional oversight played during the war. That study would include a diverse set of voices and expertise chosen in a bipartisan manner," wrote the authors.
The commission is said to be excluding the current and former members of Congress besides the ones who were involved in decision-making and operations during the war, the authors wrote.
The commission aims at providing accountability for the war and providing recommendations and an "unclassified report" when the review ends.
"The American public deserves to know exactly how the military and U.S. political leaders conducted America's longest war and why certain decisions were made," the authors wrote.
