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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is instructing the Pentagon to launch a comprehensive review into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Then-President Joe Biden removed U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, following up on existing plans from the first Trump administration in 2020 with Taliban leaders to end the war in the region.
Thirteen U.S. service members were killed during the withdrawal process due to a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate, outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the Taliban quickly seized control of Kabul.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 31: Taliban take control of Hamid Karzai International Airport after the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. (Wali Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"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," Hegseth said in a Tuesday memo. "This remains an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform and is prudent based on the number of casualties and equipment lost during the execution of this withdrawal operation."
Hegseth said the Pentagon has already completed a review into the "catastrophic" withdrawal, and concluded that a full investigation is necessary to provide a full picture of the event and to hold those responsible accountable.
As a result, Hegseth is directing Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to spearhead a special review panel to evaluate previous investigations and to "analyze the decision making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments."
"This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation," Hegseth said in the memo.
HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN
Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2021. (AP)
The Biden administration's White House released a report in 2023 evaluating the Afghanistan withdrawal, which stated that top intelligence officials did not accurately assess how quickly the Taliban would retake control of Kabul.
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In February, Trump told reporters that he wouldn’t instruct Hegseth on what actions the Pentagon should take when asked if he was considering firing military leaders who oversaw the withdrawal. But Trump said he would "fire every single one of them."
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
