US State Dept, Pentagon withholding 'crucial information' about Afghanistan: Watchdog
Oct 30, 2021
Washington [US], October 30 : The US government's Afghanistan watchdog has slammed the US Defence and State Department for withholding "crucial information" about US operations during the 20-year military presence.
At a press conference in Arlington, Virginia on Friday, US Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko said the Biden administration is withholding information from the public that could have predicted the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban.
The US troops completed withdrawal on August 30 this year after the Taliban warned the US of the consequences of not withdrawing before the set deadline.
After the completion of a messy US drawdown from Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of the country and set up a government without representation from the minority communities.
"In essence, nearly all the information you needed to know to determine whether the Afghan security forces were a real fighting force or a house of cards waiting to fall," Sopko was quoted as saying by Axios news.
"In light of recent events, it is not surprising that the Afghan government, and likely some in Departments of Defense, wanted to keep that information under lock and key," he added.
He added that the Department of Defense, at the request of the Afghan government, restricted information to the public dating back to 2015 that detailed the performance of the Afghan security forces.
"The full picture of what happened in August -- and all the warning signs that could have predicted that outcome -- will only be revealed if the information that the Departments of State and Defense have already restricted from public release is made available," he said.
Sopko argued that the withheld information would have helped Congress and the public assess whether the Afghan security forces were a real fighting force or a house of cards waiting to fall.
The information would have also helped Congress and the public assess whether the US should have ended its mission in Afghanistan earlier, he added.
