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Transcript/ScriptUS CONGRESS AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL
HEADLINE: US Lawmakers Probe Failures of 2021 US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
TEASER: Experts testify that the chaotic evacuation was a result of decades of bad decisions in Afghanistan.
PUBLISHED AT: 03/08/23 at 730p
BYLINE: Katherine Gypson
PRODUCERS: Katherine Gypson
CONTRIBUTING:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Jepsen, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, VOA, AFP, ABC, Rise to Peace
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:27
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((TV/web intro: ))
[[The Republican majority House of Representatives launched an investigation Wednesday into the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in August 2021. Immigration experts and U.S. military who assisted in the evacuation testified that the chaotic pullout was due to decades of bad decision-making.
VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.]]
((NARRATOR))
The final days of the U.S. conflict in Afghanistan were marked by chaos and death, as
the rapid advance of the Taliban caught the U.S. military and State Department by
surprise.
((Rep. Michael McCaul, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman))
“Because of the Biden administration's dereliction of duty, the world watched
heartbreaking scenes unfold in and around the Kabul airport for the next two weeks.”
((NARRATOR))
Congressional Republicans are leading an investigation into the events of August 2021.
Democrats argue that the groundwork for the chaotic withdrawal was laid by previous
presidential administrations.
((Rep. Gregory Meeks, Democrat))
“In the years preceding the 2021 withdrawal, the decision to engage in the direct
negotiations with the Taliban at the exclusion of the Afghan government and the
invitation to meet at Camp David confirmed international legitimacy to the Taliban.”
((NARRATOR))
Congress is also asking why there is a backlog in processing visas for the tens of
thousands of Afghans promised safety in return for assisting U.S. forces.
Peter Lucier works for Team America Relief, an organization that has helped support
evacuation efforts.
((Peter Lucier, Team America Relief))
“This is not the story of a Biden failure or Trump failure. This is a story of an American
failure and the effect it has had and continues to have on Afghans.”
((NARRATOR))
Ultimately, about 122,000 people were airlifted out of Afghanistan in the days before the
handover to the Taliban. But the immigration status for those Afghans who made it to
the U.S. is still uncertain, and tens of thousands remained trapped in Afghanistan.
((Francis Q. Hoang, Allied Airlift 21))
“We wept as we listened to messages left by children pleading for our help.”
((NARRATOR))
((MANDATORY COURTESY: Rise to Peace)) ((VIDEO: first shot, Kabul wall crowd))
U.S. service members also testified that unclear rules of engagement at Kabul airport
left them defenseless — and alleged that ultimately led to the August 26th bombing —
the deadliest day for Americans in Afghanistan in 10 years.
((Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, US Marine Corps))
“The withdrawal was a catastrophe, in my opinion. And there was an inexcusable lack of
accountability and negligence. The 11 Marines, one sailor and one soldier that were
murdered that day have not been answered for.”
((NARRATOR))
U.S. lawmakers say the Secretaries of State and Defense will soon be asked to testify
about their departments’ roles in the evacuation.
((Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D.C.
Embargo DateMarch 8, 2023 20:17 EST
Byline
Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
