US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies on Afghanistan withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended Biden ministration’s much-criticized handling of U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan before Congress Monday.

Blinken faced lawmakers angry about ministration’s response to quick collapse of Afghan government and, more specifically, State Department’s response to what many claim was a predictable result in final days of American military presence re.

department has come under heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for t doing eugh and t acting quickly eugh to get American citizens, legal residents and at-risk Afghans out of country after Taliban took control of Kabul on Aug. 15.

In remarks before House Foreign Affairs Committee, Blinken sought to deflect allegations of unpreparedness by ting that Biden ministration h inherited a U.S.-Taliban peace deal from its predecessor, along with a languishing program to grant visas Afghans who h worked for U.S. government.

Blinken, who h publicly predicted in June that a complete Taliban takeover would t happen “from a Friday to a Monday," also moved to pre-empt criticism of his prediction by ting that one in U.S. government expected Afghan government to fall as quickly as it did.

“Even most pessimistic assessments did t predict that government forces in Kabul would collapse while U.S. forces remained,” Blinken says in prepared remarks released by State Department. He also defended evacuation effort, saying it succeeded despite near insurmountable odds.

“ evacuation was an extraordinary effort – under most difficult conditions imaginable – by our diplomats, military, and intelligence professionals,” he told  lawmakers.

But Republicans, in particular, have been demanding answers as to why American citizens were left behind in chaotic days and weeks before military completed its withdrawal on Aug. 30.

Im: AP