US begins independent investigation into 20-year war in Afghanistan

A special commission established by the US Congress to conduct an independent review of the 20-year US war in Afghanistan held its first public hearing on July 19, Reuters reported.

According to Reuters, the bipartisan legislative committee, called the Afghanistan War Commission (AWC), established by the US Congress in December 2021, pledged to be "unflinching" in examining how and why key decisions were made and who made them.

But while accountability “is paramount, our focus is not on assigning credit or blame… but on learning and applying lessons” for future conflicts, said AWC Co-Chair Colin Jackson.

“Today we are making history,” said AWC Co-Chair Shamila Chaudhary. “Never before has the United States undertaken such an independent and extensive legislative review of its own decision-making in the aftermath of a conflict.”

The US completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, marking the end of the 20-year war, 2001–2021. Photo Reuters/CFR

The AWC's first public hearing comes just over a month to the three-year anniversary of the hasty US withdrawal from the South Asian country and the Taliban's return to power in Kabul.

During the longest foreign war in American history, about 800,000 US troops have served in Afghanistan since October 2001, according to the US Department of Defense.

In the 20-year war, 2,238 US service members were killed and nearly 21,000 were wounded. Independent estimates put the number of Afghan security forces and civilians killed at more than 100,000.

According to Military.com, the Afghanistan War Committee (AWC) was established more than two years ago but launched less than a year ago. They are collecting feedback and perspectives from veterans on their website.

The two-year work will also include public events and testimony from war veterans, and the AWC is expected to issue a report by August 2026.

The AWC consists of 16 commissioners, appointed equally by Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress.

“If we do our job well, we can draw meaning from the sacrifices of those who have served and provide insight and tools to those who may follow us,” Co-Chair Jackson said in his opening statement to the hearing.

“Only by being honest about the past, however uncomfortable it may be, can we hope to improve the understanding and performance of future generations of citizens and decision-makers,” said Jackson, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan under the Trump administration.

“The scope and mission are ambitious, but the mission is even more meaningful because it is tied to all those who sacrificed and served,” added Co-Chair Chaudhary, who worked at the State Department and the National Security Council on Afghanistan and Pakistan issues during the Obama administration.

Minh Duc (According to Reuters, Military.com)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/my-bat-dau-dieu-tra-doc-lap-ve-cuoc-chien-20-nam-o-afghanistan-204240720125627188.htm