After long wrangling, US’ Blinken to testify in Congress on Afghanistan
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A 2021 photo shows Taliban forces patrolling a runway a day after US troops' withdrawal from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to testify publicly at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, the panel said on Nov 26, after a long dispute with the Republican-led committee.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said Mr Blinken had committed to appear at a public hearing on Dec 11 to discuss the committee's investigation of the withdrawal three years ago.
The committee and the State Department have been wrangling over Mr Blinken's appearance for months. Panel Republicans voted in September to recommend Mr Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
The State Department had contended that the panel was provided with large amounts of information, with Mr Blinken testifying before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times and the department providing nearly 20,000 pages of records, multiple high-level briefings and transcribed interviews.
Mr McCaul released a report on Sept 8 on the committee Republicans' investigation of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal,
The issue had become intensely politicised before the presidential election on Nov 5. In his successful bid for a second term, Republican former president Donald Trump drew criticism for shooting video for his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery
Trump also sought to pin blame for the withdrawal on Vice-President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.
Democrats have insisted some blame for the messy end of the war - less than seven months into Biden's presidency - should be laid at the feet of Trump, who began the withdrawal process by signing a deal with the Taliban
The issue could become even more politicised after Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20, after he spoke during his campaign of firing those responsible for the pullout from Afghanistan. REUTERS
